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a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; recommendations for backing up data; and website recommendations for smart Ventura users.","description":"Whether you’ve purchased a new Mac with macOS Ventura pre-installed or you’ve upgraded from a previous version of macOS, you’ll find that Ventura makes your computer easier to use and offers myriad improvements to make you more productive.\r\n\r\nThis Cheat Sheet includes information on things you should never do to your Mac; a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; recommendations for backing up data; and website recommendations for smart Ventura users.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":35211,"name":"Guy Hart-Davis","slug":"guy-hart-davis","description":" <p><b>Guy Hart-Davis is author or coauthor of various technology books, including <i>iPhone For Dummies </i>and<i> Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPhone 14.</i></b> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35211"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33527,"title":"MacOS","slug":"macos","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33527"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":295703,"slug":"macos-ventura-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119912873","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","macos"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119912873/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119912873/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119912873-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119912873/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119912873/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/macos-ventura-for-dummies-cover-9781119912873-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"macOS Ventura For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"35211\">Guy Hart-Davis</b> is author or coauthor of various technology books, including <i>iPhone For Dummies </i>and<i> Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPhone 14.</i></b></p>","authors":[{"authorId":35211,"name":"Guy Hart-Davis","slug":"guy-hart-davis","description":" <p><b>Guy Hart-Davis is author or coauthor of various technology books, including <i>iPhone For Dummies </i>and<i> Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPhone 14.</i></b> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35211"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;macos&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119912873&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6374283eaa27a\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;macos&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119912873&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6374283eab117\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"What not to do with your Mac running Ventura","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Treat your Mac and macOS Ventura with care. To keep your work and leisure projects safe, never do any of these things with your Mac:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Never shut off your Mac by pulling the plug. </strong>Always use the Shut Down command from the Apple menu (or press the power button and then click the Shut Down button).If you’re using a MacBook, you can usually get away with pulling the plug while it’s running because the battery automatically kicks in. The only caveat is that if your battery is totally depleted, damaged, or missing entirely, you could suffer directory damage or data loss by pulling the plug. Just use the Shut Down command, and you’ll sleep well.</li>\n<li><strong>Never bump, drop, shake, wobble, dribble, drop-kick, or play catch with a hard drive while it’s running macOS.</strong> Don’t forget: Your desktop Mac has a hard or solid-state drive inside it, too.</li>\n<li><strong>Never get up from your Mac without saving your work.</strong> Just before your butt leaves the chair, your fingers should press Command+S (the keyboard shortcut in macOS that saves your work). Make it a habit.</li>\n<li><strong>Never keep only one copy of your important documents. </strong>Make at least two backup copies and keep one of them in another physical location. Period.</li>\n<li><strong>Never clean your monitor with a glass cleaner, such as Windex (or another product not designed to be used on a video display). </strong>And nix the paper towels or tissues, too. Use a soft cloth (microfiber is best) to avoid scratching the display.</li>\n<li><strong>Never pay attention to anyone who says that Windows is just like the Mac. </strong>Yeah, right. And a Kia is just like a Porsche.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Handy keyboard shortcuts for macOS Ventura","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Make your work go faster by using these macOS keyboard shortcuts with your flying fingers. Print this chart and refer to it while you work or play.</p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Command</strong></td>\n<td><strong>Keyboard Shortcut</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Add Selected Item to Dock</td>\n<td>Command+Control+Shift+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Add Selected Item to Sidebar</td>\n<td>Command+Control+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Close All Windows</td>\n<td>Command+Option+W</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Close Window</td>\n<td>Command+W</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Copy</td>\n<td>Command+C</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cut</td>\n<td>Command+X</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Duplicate</td>\n<td>Command+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Eject Disk</td>\n<td>Command+E</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Empty Trash</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+Delete</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Find</td>\n<td>Command+F</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Get Info (on selected item or items)</p>\n<p>Get Info Inspector (on selected item or items)</td>\n<td>Command+I</p>\n<p>Command+Option+I</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Go to Recents</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+F</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Go to Applications Folder</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+A</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Go to Desktop</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Go to Documents Folder</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+O</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Go to Home Folder</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Help</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+?</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hide Current Application</td>\n<td>Command+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hide Other Applications</td>\n<td>Command+Option+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Log Out Current User</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+Q</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Make Alias</td>\n<td>Command+L</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Minimize Window</td>\n<td>Command+M</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mission Control: All Windows</td>\n<td>Control+Up Arrow (F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mission Control: Application Windows</td>\n<td>Control+Down Arrow (Control+F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mission Control: Show Desktop</td>\n<td>F11 (fn+F11 on laptops) (Command+F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Move to Trash</td>\n<td>Command+Delete</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>New Finder Window</td>\n<td>Command+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>New Folder</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>New Smart Folder</td>\n<td>Command+Option+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Next Window</td>\n<td>Command+` (backtick)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Open</td>\n<td>Command+O</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Paste</td>\n<td>Command+V</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Quick Look (at selected item)</td>\n<td>Command+Y or Spacebar</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Redo</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+Z</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Select All</td>\n<td>Command+A</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show Original (of selected alias)</td>\n<td>Command+R</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show View Options</td>\n<td>Command+J</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Dock</td>\n<td>Command+Option+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Path Bar</td>\n<td>Command+Option +P</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Sidebar</td>\n<td>Command+Option +S</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Status Bar</td>\n<td>Command+/</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Tab Bar</td>\n<td>Command+Shift+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Show/Hide Toolbar</td>\n<td>Command+Option+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Turn VoiceOver On/Off</td>\n<td>Command+F5 (fn+F5 on laptops)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Undo</td>\n<td>Command+Z</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>View Window as Columns</td>\n<td>Command+3</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>View Window as Gallery</td>\n<td>Command+4</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>View Window as Icons</td>\n<td>Command+1</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>View Window as List</td>\n<td>Command+2</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n"},{"title":"Tabbing around Ventura's Save As dialog","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In the expanded view of macOS Ventura&#8217;s &#8220;Save As&#8221; dialog, if you press the Tab key while the Save As field is active, it becomes inactive and the Tags field becomes active. Press Tab again, and the Search field becomes active. Press Tab again and the sidebar becomes active. And if you press Tab again, the Save As field will, once again, be active.</p>\n<p>That’s because the Save As field, the Tags and Search fields, and the sidebar are mutually exclusive, and only one can be active at any time. You can always tell which item is active by the thin blue border around it.</p>\n<p>When you want to switch to a different folder to save a file, click the folder in the sidebar or click anywhere in the file list box to make the file list active. The following tricks help you get a hold on this whole active/inactive silliness:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you type while the file list box is active, the list box selects the folder that most closely matches the letter(s) that you type.</strong> It’s a little strange because you won’t see what you type: You’ll be typing blind, so to speak.</li>\n<li><strong>When the file list is active, the letters that you type don’t appear in the Save As field. </strong>If you want to type a filename, you have to activate the Save As field again (by clicking in it or using the Tab key) before you can type in it.</li>\n<li><strong>If you type while the sidebar is active, nothing happens.</strong> But you can use the up- and down-arrow keys to move around in the sidebar.</li>\n<li><strong>Pressing Shift reverses the order of the sequence. </strong>If you press Shift+Tab, the active item moves from the Save As field to the Sidebar to the Search box and back to the Save As field again.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Backup made straightforward","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When working in macOS Ventura, would you like to ensure that you won’t lose more than a little work no matter what happens — even if your office burns, floods, is destroyed by tornado, hurricane, or earthquake, or robbed? If so, follow these recommendations.</p>\n<p>Keeping a single backup is — frankly, my dear — not enough. Two backups might be okay. Three is much safer and gives you the option of keeping the third somewhere offsite, such as at a friend or relative&#8217;s house or in a safe-deposit box at your bank.</p>\n<p>To make those three backups, you need to create a set-and-forget system that runs automatically in the background without you needing to start them. Consider these options:</p>\n<h3>Time Machine</h3>\n<p>Use macOS&#8217;s excellent Time Machine feature as your first line of defense. Time Machine is so easy and so effective that there&#8217;s no excuse not to use it. But although Time Machine maintains multiple copies of files, they’re all stored on the same disk. If something’s worth backing up to one place, it’s worth backing up three times.</p>\n<p>You can add a second or third backup disk (or even more) to Time Machine if you like. Connect the disk and choose System Settings; then choose General; then choose Time Machine to display the Time Machine pane in System Settings.</p>\n<p>Click the Add (+) button, select the disk in the dialog that opens, and click Set Up Disk. Choose backup options — you&#8217;ll probably want to encrypt the backups — and then click Done. Time Machine then backs up to both the disks. But (you&#8217;ll have spotted the problem here) both your Time Machine backup disks are in the same place, so a single natural disaster (conflagration, inundation, fulmination&#8230;) or deliberate disaster (your choice) can take them both out.</p>\n<h3>Online backup services</h3>\n<p>You can use an online backup service, such as iDrive (<a href=\"https://www.idrive.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.idrive.com</a>) or Backblaze (<a href=\"https://www.backblaze.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.backblaze.com</a>) to back up your Mac to the cloud.</p>\n<p>These services start around the $5 to $10 per month level, so they&#8217;re good value. Most can back up your other computers and devices as well as your Mac.</p>\n<h3>Cloning apps</h3>\n<p>You can use a cloning app, such as <a href=\"https://www.bombich.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carbon Copy Cloner</a> ($39.99) or <a href=\"https://shirt-pocket.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SuperDuper</a> ($27.99) to clone your Mac&#8217;s startup disk to another hard drive every day (for example, in the early hours of the morning). This gives you a bootable backup you can use for recovery if your Mac goes south.</p>\n<h3>iCloud</h3>\n<p>Another options is to store your current work in iCloud or a competitor, such as Dropbox or Microsoft&#8217;s OneDrive, so that you have an instantly accessible online backup, as well as being able to work on your documents no matter where you happen to be.</p>\n<p>One final thing: You must test the integrity of each backup to make sure it will work when you need it. Just restore a few files and make sure they&#8217;re usable. You&#8217;ll then be sure you can recover fully should disaster strike.</p>\n"},{"title":"10 favorite websites for macOS Ventura users","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>To learn about all things Macintosh and macOS Ventura, check out these sites, and stuff your brain with Mac information:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.macobserver.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Mac Observer</strong></a> offers insightful opinion pieces in addition to the usual Apple news and product reviews. The quality and depth of the writing at <em>The Mac Observer </em>is superior to most other sites covering the Apple beat.</li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https://support.apple.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Apple support site</strong> </a>and <a href=\"https://discussions.apple.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Apple support communities</strong></a> are treasure troves of tech notes, software update information, troubleshooting tips, and documentation for most Apple products.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.download.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Download.com</strong></a>, the site formerly known as VersionTracker, is the place to go to find freeware, shareware, and software updates for macOS. If this site doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.macworld.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Macworld</strong></a> describes itself as, “Your best source for all things Apple,” and it’s not far from the truth. <em>Macworld</em> is especially strong for comparative reviews of Mac and iPhone/iPad products. If you want to find out which inkjet printer or digital camera is the best in its price class, Macworld.com probably has feature comparison charts and real-world test results.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.tidbits.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TidBITS</strong></a> bills itself as “Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 30 years” but there’s much more to <em>TidBITS </em>than just news. You can also find thoughtful commentary, in-depth analysis, and detailed product reviews, written and edited by pros who really know the Apple ecosystem.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.sixcolors.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Six Colors</strong></a> is Jason Snell’s magazine on the web. The former editor for <em>Macworld</em> magazine for over a decade, he and his team provide daily coverage of Apple, other technology companies, and the intersection of technology and culture. Six Colors has been around for a few years, and the writing continues to get stronger, more opinionated, and even more fun to read.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://thewirecutter.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Wirecutter</strong> </a>is a great place to learn what experts consider the best peripherals, tech tools, and toys. Now a <em>New York Times</em> company, Wirecutter has the resources to objectively evaluate many products in a category and declare one of them the “best.”</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://eshop.macsales.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Other World Computing</strong></a> is a terrific favorite maker of accessories and peripherals for Macs. They have a wide array of storage upgrade kits and memory upgrades that are guaranteed for life, as well as great documentation and instructional videos.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dealmac.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DealMac</strong></a> is the place to shop for deals on Mac stuff. With a motto like “How to go broke saving money,” this site is often the first to find out about sale prices, rebates, and other bargain opportunities on upgrades, software, peripherals, and more.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished\"><strong>Apple’s refurbished and clearance store</strong></a> can save you up to 30 percent on like-new Apple products.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":295750},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2021-09-22T16:22:20+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-11-15T19:58:38+00:00","timestamp":"2022-11-15T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Operating Systems","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33524"},"slug":"operating-systems","categoryId":33524},{"name":"MacOS","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33527"},"slug":"macos","categoryId":33527},{"name":"Monterey","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34619"},"slug":"monterey","categoryId":34619}],"title":"MacOS Monterey For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"macos monterey for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"macos-monterey-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"You'll know Jack with Monterey! This MacOS will make your Mac easier to use if you learn these shortcuts and recommendations.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Whether you’ve purchased a new Mac with macOS Monterey pre-installed or you’ve upgraded from a previous version of macOS, you’ll find that Monterey makes your Mac easier to use and offers myriad improvements to make you more productive.\r\n\r\nThis Cheat Sheet includes information on things you should never do to your Mac; a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; a discussion of when folders are too full and when (and when not) to create subfolders; recommendations for backing up data; and a short discussion of iDevices and Continuity.","description":"Whether you’ve purchased a new Mac with macOS Monterey pre-installed or you’ve upgraded from a previous version of macOS, you’ll find that Monterey makes your Mac easier to use and offers myriad improvements to make you more productive.\r\n\r\nThis Cheat Sheet includes information on things you should never do to your Mac; a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; a discussion of when folders are too full and when (and when not) to create subfolders; recommendations for backing up data; and a short discussion of iDevices and Continuity.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8989,"name":"Bob LeVitus","slug":"bob-levitus","description":" <p><b>Edward C. Baig</b> is the former Personal Technology columnist at <i>USA Today</i> and current contributing writer at AARP. He makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, and podcasts and is the author of <i>Macs For Dummies</i>.</p> <p><b> Bob &#8220;Dr. Mac&#8221; LeVitus</b> has written or cowritten over 90 popular computer books, including <i>macOS Monterey For Dummies</i> and <i>GarageBand For Dummies</i>. He has also written for the <i>Houston Chronicle and Mac Observer</i> for over twenty years. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8989"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34619,"title":"Monterey","slug":"monterey","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34619"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":288172,"slug":"macos-monterey-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119836964","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119836964/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119836964/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119836964-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119836964/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119836964/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/macos-monterey-for-dummies-cover-9781119836964-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"macOS Monterey For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b>Edward C. Baig</b> is the former Personal Technology columnist at <i>USA Today</i> and current contributing writer at AARP. He makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, and podcasts and is the author of <i>Macs For Dummies</i>.</p> <p><b> Bob &#8220;Dr. Mac&#8221; LeVitus</b> has written or cowritten over 90 popular computer books, including <i>macOS Monterey For Dummies</i> and <i>GarageBand For Dummies</i>. He has also written for the <i>Houston Chronicle and Mac Observer</i> for over twenty years.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8989,"name":"Bob LeVitus","slug":"bob-levitus","description":" <p><b>Edward C. Baig</b> is the former Personal Technology columnist at <i>USA Today</i> and current contributing writer at AARP. He makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, and podcasts and is the author of <i>Macs For Dummies</i>.</p> <p><b> Bob &#8220;Dr. Mac&#8221; LeVitus</b> has written or cowritten over 90 popular computer books, including <i>macOS Monterey For Dummies</i> and <i>GarageBand For Dummies</i>. He has also written for the <i>Houston Chronicle and Mac Observer</i> for over twenty years. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8989"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;macos&quot;,&quot;monterey&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119836964&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6373fe0ebd9ca\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;macos&quot;,&quot;monterey&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119836964&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6373fe0ebe27b\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"What not to do with your Mac running Monterey","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Treat your Mac and macOS Monterey with care. To keep your work and leisure projects safe, never do any of these things with your Mac:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Never shut off your Mac by pulling the plug. </strong>Always use the Shut Down command from the Apple menu in Monterey (or press the power button and then click the Shut Down button).\n<p class=\"tip\">If you’re using a laptop, you can usually get away with pulling the plug while it’s running because the battery automatically kicks in. The only caveat is that if your battery is totally depleted, damaged, or missing entirely, you could suffer directory damage or data loss by pulling the plug. Just use the Shut Down command, and you’ll sleep well.</p>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Never bump, drop, shake, wobble, dribble, drop-kick, or play catch with a hard drive while it’s running Monterey.</strong> Don’t forget that your desktop Mac has a hard or solid-state drive inside it, too.</li>\n<li><strong>Never get up from your Mac without saving your work.</strong> Just before your butt leaves the chair, your fingers should press Command+S (the keyboard shortcut in macOS that saves your work). Make it a habit.</li>\n<li><strong>Never keep only one copy of your important documents. </strong>Make at least two backup copies and keep one of them in another physical location. Period.</li>\n<li><strong>Never clean your monitor with a glass cleaner, such as Windex (or another product not designed to be used on a video display). </strong>And nix the paper towels or tissues, too. Use a soft cloth (microfiber is best) to avoid scratching the display.</li>\n<li><strong>Never pay attention to anyone who says that Windows is just like the Mac. </strong>Yeah, right. And a Kia is just like a Porsche.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Handy keyboard shortcuts for macOS Monterey","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Make your work go faster with these macOS Monterey keyboard shortcuts. Print this chart and refer to it while using macOS Monterey.</p>\n<table width=\"546\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\"><strong>Command</strong></td>\n<td width=\"273\"><strong>Keyboard Shortcut</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Add Selected Item to Dock</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Control+Shift+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Add Selected Item to Sidebar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Control+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Close All Windows</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option+W</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Close Window</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+W</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Copy</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+C</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Cut</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+X</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Duplicate</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Eject Disk</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+E</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Empty Trash</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+Delete</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Find</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+F</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Get Info (on selected item or items)</p>\n<p>Get Info Inspector (on multiple selected items)</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+I</p>\n<p>Command+Option+I</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Go to Recents</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+F</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Go to Applications Folder</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+A</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Go to Desktop</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Go to Documents Folder</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+O</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Go to Home Folder</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Help</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+?</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Hide Current Application</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Hide Other Applications</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option+H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Log Out Current User</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+Q</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Make Alias</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+L</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Minimize Window</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+M</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Mission Control: All Windows</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Control+Up Arrow (F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Mission Control: Application Windows</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Control+Down Arrow (Control+F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Mission Control: Show Desktop</td>\n<td width=\"273\">F11 (fn+F11 on laptops) (Command+F3 on Apple keyboards)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Move to Trash</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Delete</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">New Finder Window</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">New Folder</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">New Smart Folder</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option+N</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Next Window</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+`</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Open</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+O</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Paste</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+V</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Quick Look (at selected item)</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Y or Spacebar</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Redo</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+Z</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Select All</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+A</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show Original (of selected alias)</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+R</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show View Options</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+J</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Dock</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option+D</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Path Bar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option +P</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Sidebar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option +S</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Status Bar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+/</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Tab Bar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Shift+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Show/Hide Toolbar</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Option+T</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Turn VoiceOver On/Off</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+F5 (fn+F5 on laptops)</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">Undo</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+Z</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">View Window as Columns</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+3</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">View Window as Gallery</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+4</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">View Window as Icons</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+1</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"273\">View Window as List</td>\n<td width=\"273\">Command+2</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n"},{"title":"Tabbing around Monterey's Save and Save As sheets","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In the expanded view of macOS Monterey&#8217;s Save or Save As sheets, if you press the Tab key while the Save As field is active, it becomes inactive and the Tags field becomes active. Press Tab again, and the Search field becomes active. Press Tab again and the sidebar becomes active. And if you press Tab again, the Save As field will, once again, be active.</p>\n<p>That’s because the Save As field, the Tags and Search fields, and the sidebar are mutually exclusive, and only one can be active at any time. You can always tell which item is active by the thin blue border around it.</p>\n<p>When you want to switch to a different folder to save a file, click the folder in the sidebar or click anywhere in the file list box to make the file list active. The following tricks help you get a hold on this whole active/inactive silliness:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you type while the file list box is active, the list box selects the folder that most closely matches the letter(s) that you type.</strong> It’s a little strange because you won’t see what you type: You’ll be typing blind, so to speak.</li>\n<li><strong>When the file list is active, the letters that you type don’t appear in the Save As field. </strong>If you want to type a filename, you have to activate the Save As field again (by clicking in it or using the Tab key) before you can type in it.</li>\n<li><strong>If you type while the sidebar is active, nothing happens. </strong>You can, however, use the up- and down-arrow keys to move around in the sidebar.</li>\n<li><strong>Pressing Shift reverses the order of the sequence. </strong>If you press Shift+Tab, the active item moves from the Save As field to the Sidebar to the Search box and back to the Save As field again.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Creating subfolders in macOS Monterey . . . or not","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>How full is too full? When should you begin creating subfolders in Monterey? That’s impossible to say, at least in a one-size-fits-all way, but having too many items in a folder can be a nightmare — as can having too many subfolders with just one or two files in each one.</p>\n<p>If you find more than 15 or 20 files in a single folder, begin thinking about ways to subdivide it. On the other hand, some of your biggest subfolders might contain things that you don’t often access, such as a Correspondence 2001 folder. Because you don’t use it often, its overcrowded condition might not bother you.</p>\n<p>Here are some tips to help you decide whether to use subfolders or just leave well enough alone:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don’t create subfolders until you need them. </strong>That way, you avoid opening an empty folder when you’re looking for something else — a complete waste of time.</li>\n<li><strong>Let your work style decide the file structure. </strong>When you first start working with your Mac, you may want to save everything in your Documents folder for a while. When a decent-size group of documents has accumulated in the Documents folder, consider taking a look at them and creating logical subfolders for them.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Dr. Mac's backup recommendations","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When working in macOS Monterey, would you like to ensure that you won’t lose more than a little work no matter what happens — even if your office burns, floods, is destroyed by tornado, hurricane, or earthquake, or robbed? If so, you might want to follow the setup described here.</p>\n<p>I am continually testing new backup solutions, so the software I use can change from month to month. I’ve tried most of the popular backup solutions and many of the more obscure ones, but before I say anything about my current setup, here is what I’m trying to accomplish (at a minimum): I want at least three (reasonably) current backup sets with copies of all my files.</p>\n<p>I update two of them every day and keep the third somewhere offsite, such as in a safe deposit box at the bank. Every month or two, I swap the offsite backup for the latest backup from home — and then reuse the older backup disk.<br />\nNote that after I set up the following programs, they run automatically in the background with no further action on my part. Think of this as a “set and forget” feature.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>My first line of defense is macOS’s excellent Time Machine. </strong>There’s no excuse not to use it. But although Time Machine maintains multiple copies of files, they’re all stored on the same disk. If something’s worth backing up to one place, it’s worth backing up three times.\n<p class=\"tip\">Note that you can add a second or third backup disk (or more) to Time Machine if you like. Just click Select Disk in the Time Machine System Preferences pane, select the disk, and choose Use Both (or All) in the dialog that appears so that Time Machine rotates among the disks. Alas, even if you have two or more Time Machine backup disks, they’re still all stored in the same room.</p>\n</li>\n<li><strong>And so, in addition to Time Machine, I use the excellent <a href=\"https://www.backblaze.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backblaze </a>($6 per month for unlimited cloud storage).</strong> I use it to back up everything that matters, so I have a copy in the cloud, just in case. I consider it a bargain at $6 per month.</li>\n<li><strong>Every night at midnight, </strong><a href=\"https://www.bombich.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Carbon Copy Cloner</strong></a><strong> ($39.99) <em>clones</em> (duplicates) my startup disk to another hard drive. </strong>This provides me a bootable backup I can use with almost any other Mac.</li>\n<li><strong>Finally, I use Dropbox to synchronize current projects among several Macs and my iPhone and iPad, giving me additional backup copies of important files. </strong>This also ensures that the most current version of the file is available from all my devices.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>One last thing: I test the integrity of each backup regularly, and so should you. Just restore a few files and confirm they’re usable. Carbon Copy Cloner has a setting that checks every file for corruption, which I use once a month to ensure that the files in my backups aren’t corrupted or damaged and can be restored successfully.</p>\n"},{"title":"10 favorite websites for macOS Monterey users","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>To learn about all things Macintosh and macOS Monterey, hop onto the web, check out these sites, and stuff your brain with Mac information:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.macobserver.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Mac Observer</strong></a> offers insightful opinion pieces in addition to the usual Apple news and product reviews. The quality and depth of the writing at <em>The Mac Observer </em>is superior to most other sites covering the Apple beat.<br />\nDisclosure: I’m proud to be a columnist at <em>The Mac Observer, </em>and even prouder to have been doing it for nearly two decades.</li>\n<li>The <strong><a href=\"https://support.apple.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple support site </a></strong>and <a href=\"https://discussions.apple.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Apple support communities</strong></a> are treasure troves of tech notes, software update information, troubleshooting tips, and documentation for most Apple products.</li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https://www.download.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download.com</a></strong>, the site formerly known as VersionTracker is the place to go to find freeware, shareware, and software updates for macOS. If this site doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.macworld.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Macworld</strong></a> describes itself as “your best source for all things Apple,” and it’s not far from the truth. <em>Macworld</em> is especially strong for comparative reviews of Mac and iPhone/iPad products. If you want to find out which inkjet printer or digital camera is the best in its price class, Macworld.com probably has feature comparison charts and real-world test results.</li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https://www.tidbits.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TidBITS</a></strong> bills itself as “thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 30 years,” but there’s much more to <em>TidBITS </em>than just news. You can also find thoughtful commentary, in-depth analysis, and detailed product reviews, written and edited by pros who really know the Apple ecosystem.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.sixcolors.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Six Colors</strong></a> is Jason Snell’s magazine on the web. The former editor for <em>Macworld</em> magazine for over a decade, he and his team provide daily coverage of Apple, other technology companies, and the intersection of technology and culture. Six Colors has been around for a few years, and the writing continues to get stronger, more opinionated, and even more fun to read.</li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https://thewirecutter.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wirecutter </a></strong>is where I go to see what experts consider the best peripherals, tech tools, and toys. Now a <em>New York Times</em> company, Wirecutter has the resources to objectively evaluate many products in a category and declare one of them the “best.”</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://eshop.macsales.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Other World Computing</strong></a> is my favorite maker of accessories and peripherals for Macs. They have a wide array of storage upgrade kits and memory upgrades that are guaranteed for life, as well as great documentation and instructional videos.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dealmac.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DealMac</strong></a> is the place to shop for deals on Mac stuff. With a motto like “How to go broke saving money,” this site is often the first to find out about sale prices, rebates, and other bargain opportunities on upgrades, software, peripherals, and more.</li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple’s Refurbished and Clearance Store</a></strong> can save you up to 30 percent on like-new Apple products.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-09-22T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":288510},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:48:00+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-11-01T20:05:10+00:00","timestamp":"2022-11-01T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Operating Systems","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33524"},"slug":"operating-systems","categoryId":33524},{"name":"Linux","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33526"},"slug":"linux","categoryId":33526}],"title":"Linux All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"linux all-in-one for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"linux-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"These common Linux commands and information on how to access Linux help pages with help you work efficiently with the operating system.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Linux can fulfill almost any need you have for the operating system on a desktop computer, but you must be able to tell it what you want to do in a way that it understands. You need to know common commands and how to access the help pages.","description":"Linux can fulfill almost any need you have for the operating system on a desktop computer, but you must be able to tell it what you want to do in a way that it understands. You need to know common commands and how to access the help pages.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10600,"name":"Richard Blum","slug":"richard-blum","description":" <p><b>Emmett Dulaney</b> is a university professor and columnist for <i>Certification Magazine.</i> An expert on operating systems and certification, he is the author of <i>CompTIA Security&#43; Study Guide, CompTIA A&#43; Complete Study Guide,</i> and <i>CompTIA Network&#43; Exam Cram.</i> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10600"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33526,"title":"Linux","slug":"linux","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33526"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":255873,"title":"How to Use GPG in Linux to Encrypt Files","slug":"how-to-use-gpg-in-linux-to-encrypt-files","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255873"}},{"articleId":255870,"title":"What You Need to Know to Set Up a Simple Firewall in Linux","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-to-set-up-a-simple-firewall-in-linux","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255870"}},{"articleId":255867,"title":"How to Use Netfilter on Your Linux System: Enabling a Packet-Filtering Firewall","slug":"how-to-use-netfilter-on-your-linux-system-enabling-a-packet-filtering-firewall","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255867"}},{"articleId":255864,"title":"Linux Security Basics: How to Encrypt and Sign Files with GnuPG","slug":"linux-security-basics-how-to-encrypt-and-sign-files-with-gnupg","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255864"}},{"articleId":255861,"title":"How to Protect Files and Directories in Linux","slug":"how-to-protect-files-and-directories-in-linux","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255861"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":274329,"title":"The Linux GNOME Desktop","slug":"the-linux-gnome-desktop","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274329"}},{"articleId":274317,"title":"How to Install Linux from Ubuntu Live","slug":"how-to-install-linux-from-ubuntu-live","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274317"}},{"articleId":274308,"title":"How to Partition a Drive for Linux and Microsoft Windows","slug":"how-to-partition-a-drive-for-linux-and-microsoft-windows","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274308"}},{"articleId":274301,"title":"10 Linux Troubleshooting Tips","slug":"10-linux-troubleshooting-tips","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274301"}},{"articleId":274296,"title":"What Is Linux?","slug":"what-is-linux","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274296"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281757,"slug":"linux-all-in-one-for-dummies-6th-edition","isbn":"9781119901921","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119901928/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119901928/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119901928-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119901928/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119901928/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"title":"Linux All-In-One For Dummies, 7th Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"9408\">Emmett Dulaney</b></b> is a university professor and columnist for <i>Certification Magazine.</i> An expert on operating systems and certification, he is the author of <i>CompTIA Security&#43; Study Guide, CompTIA A&#43; Complete Study Guide,</i> and <i>CompTIA Network&#43; Exam Cram.</i> <p><b>Emmett Dulaney</b> is a university professor and columnist for <i>Certification Magazine.</i> An expert on operating systems and certification, he is the author of <i>CompTIA Security&#43; Study Guide, CompTIA A&#43; Complete Study Guide,</i> and <i>CompTIA Network&#43; Exam Cram.</i></p>","authors":[{"authorId":9408,"name":"Emmett Dulaney","slug":"emmett-dulaney","description":" <p><b>Emmett Dulaney</b> is a university professor and columnist for <i>Certification Magazine.</i> An expert on operating systems and certification, he is the author of <i>CompTIA Security&#43; Study Guide, CompTIA A&#43; Complete Study Guide,</i> and <i>CompTIA Network&#43; Exam Cram.</i> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9408"}},{"authorId":10600,"name":"Richard Blum","slug":"richard-blum","description":" <p><b>Emmett Dulaney</b> is a university professor and columnist for <i>Certification Magazine.</i> An expert on operating systems and certification, he is the author of <i>CompTIA Security&#43; Study Guide, CompTIA A&#43; Complete Study Guide,</i> and <i>CompTIA Network&#43; Exam Cram.</i> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10600"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;linux&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119901921&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6361890ed104a\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;linux&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119901921&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6361890ed17ca\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":152307,"title":"Linux Installation Checklist","slug":"linux-installation-checklist","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152307"}},{"articleId":152250,"title":"Linux Commands to Check the Network","slug":"linux-commands-to-check-the-network","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","linux"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152250"}},{"articleId":152270,"title":"Working in Linux with the bash Shell","slug":"working-in-linux-with-the-bash-shell","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152270"}},{"articleId":152271,"title":"Linux File System Basics","slug":"linux-file-system-basics","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152271"}}],"content":[{"title":"Common Linux commands","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<h1></h1>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Command</strong></td>\n<td><strong>Description</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>cat [<em>filename</em>]</td>\n<td>Display the file’s contents to the standard output device (usually your monitor).</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>cd /<em>directorypath</em></td>\n<td>Change to directory.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>chmod [<em>options</em>] <em>mode</em> <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Change a file’s permissions.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>chown [<em>options</em>] <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Change who owns a file.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>clear</td>\n<td>Clear a command-line screen/window for a fresh start.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>cp [<em>options</em>] <em>source</em> <em>destination</em></td>\n<td>Copy files and directories.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>date [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Display or set the system date and time.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>df [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Display used and available disk space.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>du [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Show how much space each file takes up.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>file [<em>options</em>] <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Determine what type of data is within a file.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>find [<em>pathname</em>] [<em>expression</em>]</td>\n<td>Search for files matching a provided pattern.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>grep [<em>options</em>] <em>pattern</em> [<em>filename</em>]</td>\n<td>Search files or output for a particular pattern.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>kill [<em>options</em>] <em>pid</em></td>\n<td>Stop a process. If the process refuses to stop, use kill -9 pid.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>less [<em>options</em>] [<em>filename</em>]</td>\n<td>View the contents of a file one page at a time.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>ln [<em>options</em>] <em>source</em> [<em>destination</em>]</td>\n<td>Create a shortcut.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>locate <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Search for the specified filename.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>lpr [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Send a print job.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>ls [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>List directory contents.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>man [<em>command</em>]</td>\n<td>Display the help information for the specified command.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>mkdir [<em>options</em>] <em>directory</em></td>\n<td>Create a new directory.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>mv [<em>options</em>] <em>source</em> <em>destination</em></td>\n<td>Rename or move file(s) or directories.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>passwd [<em>name</em> [<em>password</em>]]</td>\n<td>Change the password or allow (for the system administrator) to change any password.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>ps [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Display a snapshot of the currently running processes.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>pwd</td>\n<td>Display the pathname for the current directory.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>rm [<em>options</em>] <em>directory</em></td>\n<td>Remove (delete) file(s) and/or directories.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>rmdir [<em>options</em>] <em>directory</em></td>\n<td>Delete empty directories.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>ssh [<em>options</em>] <em>user</em>@<em>machine</em></td>\n<td>Remotely log in to another Linux machine, over the network. Leave an ssh session by typing <strong>exit</strong>.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>su [<em>options</em>] [<em>user</em> [<em>arguments</em>]]</td>\n<td>Switch to another user account.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>tail [<em>options</em>] [<em>filename</em>]</td>\n<td>Display the last <em>n</em> lines of a file (the default is 10).</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>tar [<em>options</em>] <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Store and extract files from a tarball (.tar) or a compressed tarball (.tar.gz or .tgz).</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>top</td>\n<td>Displays the resources being used on your system. Press Q to exit.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>touch <em>filename</em></td>\n<td>Create an empty file with the specified name.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>who [<em>options</em>]</td>\n<td>Display who is logged on.</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p>To access your CDs/DVDs and USB sticks:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you’re in the graphical user interface (GUI), the media should be automatically detected.</li>\n<li>On the command line, look in the /media directory. You may need to use mount /media/cdrom, /media/dvdrom, or some other variant.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>To remove your CDs/DVDs and USB sticks:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the GNOME 3 desktop, right-click the media’s icon and select Eject from the context menu. If you’re using the KDE Plasma desktop, select the Device Notifier icon in the Panel, and then select the CD or USB icon to eject.</li>\n<li>On the command line, type <strong>umount /media/<em>cdrom</em></strong>, where you should change <strong><em>cdrom</em></strong> to whatever you had to use to mount the item.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Accessing Linux help pages","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>To find help, try the following commands:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>man -k [keyword]: Search a database for commands that involve the keyword. Can also be used as apropos [keyword].</li>\n<li>info [command]: Display a file’s help information in an alternate format.</li>\n<li>man [command]: Display a file’s help information.</li>\n<li>whatis [command]: Display a short blurb about the command.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You can also check the following documentation:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>openSUSE: </strong>The openSUSE documentation (<a href=\"https://doc.opensuse.org/\">https://doc.opensuse.org</a>) provides a complete reference guide to both the openSUSE environment and the GNOME 3 desktop environment. There’s also a user forum (<a href=\"https://forums.opensuse.org/\">https://forums.opensuse.org</a>) where users can post and answer specific questions about using openSUSE.</li>\n<li><strong>Rocky Linux:</strong> The Rocky Linux documentation web page (<a href=\"https://docs.rockylinux.org/\">https://docs.rockylinux.org</a>) provides access to guides (short how-to documentation), books (longer-format documentation), labs (step-by-step work-throughs of processes), and gemstones (very short how-to documents).</li>\n<li><strong>Ubuntu:</strong> The official Ubuntu documentation (<a href=\"https://help.ubuntu.com/\">https://help.ubuntu.com</a>) provides basic information on how to get started with most common desktop tasks. Just look for the topic area you’re interested in and follow the thread. Ubuntu also has a wiki (<a href=\"https://wiki.ubuntu.com/\">https://wiki.ubuntu.com</a>), where Ubuntu users can contribute their own guides and tutorials.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-03-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207674},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-04-16T00:12:56+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-09-15T17:57:43+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-15T18:01:21+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Macs","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33520"},"slug":"macs","categoryId":33520},{"name":"General Macs","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33523"},"slug":"general-macs","categoryId":33523}],"title":"10 Essential Tips for Investing Success in Your 20s and 30s","strippedTitle":"10 essential tips for investing success in your 20s and 30s","slug":"10-essential-tips-investing-success-20s-30s","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Check out these ten time-tested investing principles that can pay you big dividends for many years to come.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Investing appears to be complicated and complex. But if you can take some relatively simple concepts to heart and adhere to them, you can greatly increase your success. Here are ten time-tested principles of investing success. Following these principles will pay you big dividends (and capital gains) for many years to come.\r\n<h3>Regularly save and invest 5 percent to 10 percent of your income</h3>\r\nUnless you enjoy a large inheritance, you should consistently save 5 percent to 10 percent of the money you’re earning. When should you start doing this? As soon as you begin earning money on a regular basis.\r\n\r\nPreferably, invest through a retirement savings account to reduce your taxes and ensure your future financial independence. You can reduce both your current federal and state income tax bills (on the contributions) as well as these ongoing bills (on the investment earnings).\r\n\r\nThe exact portion of your income you should be saving is driven by your goals and by your current financial assets and liabilities. Take the time to crunch some numbers to determine how much you should be saving monthly.\r\n<h3>Understand and use your employee benefits</h3>\r\nThe larger the employer, the more likely it is to offer avenues for you to invest conveniently through payroll deduction, and with possible tax benefits and discounts. Some companies enable you to buy company stock at a reduced price.\r\n\r\nOften, the most valuable benefit you have is a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k) plan that enables you to make contributions and save on your current income taxation. Also, after the money is in the account, it can compound and grow over the years and decades without taxation.\r\n\r\nIf you’re self-employed, be sure to establish and use a retirement plan. Also take time to learn about the best investment options available to you — and use them.\r\n<h3>Thoroughly research before you invest</h3>\r\nThe allure of large expected returns too often is the enticement that gets novices hooked on a particular investment. That’s a whole lot more appealing than researching an investment. But research you must if you want to make an informed decision.\r\n\r\nBe sure you understand what you’re investing in. Don’t purchase any financial product that you don’t understand. Ask questions and compare what you’re being offered with the best sources I recommend. Beware of purchasing an investment on the basis of an advertisement or a salesperson’s solicitation.\r\n<h3>Shun investments with high commissions and expenses</h3>\r\nThe cost of the investments you buy is an important variable you can control. All fees must be disclosed in a prospectus, which you should always review before making any investment.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Companies that sell their investment products through aggressive sales techniques generally have the worst financial products and the highest fees and commissions.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Invest the majority of your long-term money in ownership investments</h3>\r\nWhen you’re young, you have plenty of time to let your investments compound and grow. Likewise, you have time to recover from setbacks.\r\n\r\nSo with your long-term money, focus on investments that have appreciation potential, such as stocks, real estate, and your own business. When you invest in bonds or bank accounts, you’re simply lending your money to others and will earn a return that probably won’t keep you ahead of inflation and taxes.\r\n<h3>Avoid making emotionally based financial decisions</h3>\r\nSuccessful investors keep their composure when the going gets tough. You need the ability and wisdom to look beyond the current environment, understanding that it will change in the months and years ahead.\r\n\r\nYou don’t want to panic and sell your stock holdings after a major market correction, for example. In fact, you should consider such an event to be a buying opportunity for stocks. Be especially careful about making important financial decisions after a major life change, such as marriage, the birth of a child, a divorce, job loss, or a death in your family.\r\n<h3>Make investing decisions based on your plans and needs</h3>\r\nYour investment decisions should come out of your planning and your overall needs, goals, and desires. This requires looking at your overall financial situation first and then coming up with a comprehensive plan.\r\n\r\nDon’t be swayed and influenced by the predictive advice offered by various investment pundits or the latest news headlines and concerns. Trust that you know yourself and your financial situation better than anyone else does.\r\n<h3>Tap information sources with high-quality standards</h3>\r\nYou need to pare down the sources you use to keep up with investing news and the financial markets. Give priority to those that aren’t afraid to take a stand and recommend what’s in your best interests.\r\n\r\nThe public clearly has an appetite for opinion shows; on the political left, you have programs on CNN and MSNBC. On the political right, FOX has some popular conservative opinion shows.\r\n\r\nPolitical partisans distort the news rather than report the news, and they prevent you from better understanding what’s really going on so you can make informed decisions. Political partisans overstate the impact that the president and others can have over our economy and financial markets.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Stay away from outlets that cater to advertisers or are driven by an ideological agenda.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Trust yourself first</h3>\r\nLook in the mirror. You’ll see the best financial person you can hire and trust. What may be missing is enough education and confidence to make more and better decisions on your own, which this book can assist you with doing.\r\n\r\nIf you need help making a major decision, hire conflict-free advisors who charge a fee for their time. Work in partnership with advisors. Never turn over or abdicate control.\r\n<h3>Invest in yourself and others</h3>\r\nDon’t get so wrapped up in making, saving, and investing money that you lose sight of what matters most to you. Invest in your education, your health, and your relationships with family members and friends.\r\n\r\nHaving a lot of money isn’t worth much if you don’t have your health and people with whom to share your life. Give your time and money to causes that better our society and our world.","description":"Investing appears to be complicated and complex. But if you can take some relatively simple concepts to heart and adhere to them, you can greatly increase your success. Here are ten time-tested principles of investing success. Following these principles will pay you big dividends (and capital gains) for many years to come.\r\n<h3>Regularly save and invest 5 percent to 10 percent of your income</h3>\r\nUnless you enjoy a large inheritance, you should consistently save 5 percent to 10 percent of the money you’re earning. When should you start doing this? As soon as you begin earning money on a regular basis.\r\n\r\nPreferably, invest through a retirement savings account to reduce your taxes and ensure your future financial independence. You can reduce both your current federal and state income tax bills (on the contributions) as well as these ongoing bills (on the investment earnings).\r\n\r\nThe exact portion of your income you should be saving is driven by your goals and by your current financial assets and liabilities. Take the time to crunch some numbers to determine how much you should be saving monthly.\r\n<h3>Understand and use your employee benefits</h3>\r\nThe larger the employer, the more likely it is to offer avenues for you to invest conveniently through payroll deduction, and with possible tax benefits and discounts. Some companies enable you to buy company stock at a reduced price.\r\n\r\nOften, the most valuable benefit you have is a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k) plan that enables you to make contributions and save on your current income taxation. Also, after the money is in the account, it can compound and grow over the years and decades without taxation.\r\n\r\nIf you’re self-employed, be sure to establish and use a retirement plan. Also take time to learn about the best investment options available to you — and use them.\r\n<h3>Thoroughly research before you invest</h3>\r\nThe allure of large expected returns too often is the enticement that gets novices hooked on a particular investment. That’s a whole lot more appealing than researching an investment. But research you must if you want to make an informed decision.\r\n\r\nBe sure you understand what you’re investing in. Don’t purchase any financial product that you don’t understand. Ask questions and compare what you’re being offered with the best sources I recommend. Beware of purchasing an investment on the basis of an advertisement or a salesperson’s solicitation.\r\n<h3>Shun investments with high commissions and expenses</h3>\r\nThe cost of the investments you buy is an important variable you can control. All fees must be disclosed in a prospectus, which you should always review before making any investment.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Companies that sell their investment products through aggressive sales techniques generally have the worst financial products and the highest fees and commissions.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Invest the majority of your long-term money in ownership investments</h3>\r\nWhen you’re young, you have plenty of time to let your investments compound and grow. Likewise, you have time to recover from setbacks.\r\n\r\nSo with your long-term money, focus on investments that have appreciation potential, such as stocks, real estate, and your own business. When you invest in bonds or bank accounts, you’re simply lending your money to others and will earn a return that probably won’t keep you ahead of inflation and taxes.\r\n<h3>Avoid making emotionally based financial decisions</h3>\r\nSuccessful investors keep their composure when the going gets tough. You need the ability and wisdom to look beyond the current environment, understanding that it will change in the months and years ahead.\r\n\r\nYou don’t want to panic and sell your stock holdings after a major market correction, for example. In fact, you should consider such an event to be a buying opportunity for stocks. Be especially careful about making important financial decisions after a major life change, such as marriage, the birth of a child, a divorce, job loss, or a death in your family.\r\n<h3>Make investing decisions based on your plans and needs</h3>\r\nYour investment decisions should come out of your planning and your overall needs, goals, and desires. This requires looking at your overall financial situation first and then coming up with a comprehensive plan.\r\n\r\nDon’t be swayed and influenced by the predictive advice offered by various investment pundits or the latest news headlines and concerns. Trust that you know yourself and your financial situation better than anyone else does.\r\n<h3>Tap information sources with high-quality standards</h3>\r\nYou need to pare down the sources you use to keep up with investing news and the financial markets. Give priority to those that aren’t afraid to take a stand and recommend what’s in your best interests.\r\n\r\nThe public clearly has an appetite for opinion shows; on the political left, you have programs on CNN and MSNBC. On the political right, FOX has some popular conservative opinion shows.\r\n\r\nPolitical partisans distort the news rather than report the news, and they prevent you from better understanding what’s really going on so you can make informed decisions. Political partisans overstate the impact that the president and others can have over our economy and financial markets.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Stay away from outlets that cater to advertisers or are driven by an ideological agenda.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Trust yourself first</h3>\r\nLook in the mirror. You’ll see the best financial person you can hire and trust. What may be missing is enough education and confidence to make more and better decisions on your own, which this book can assist you with doing.\r\n\r\nIf you need help making a major decision, hire conflict-free advisors who charge a fee for their time. Work in partnership with advisors. Never turn over or abdicate control.\r\n<h3>Invest in yourself and others</h3>\r\nDon’t get so wrapped up in making, saving, and investing money that you lose sight of what matters most to you. Invest in your education, your health, and your relationships with family members and friends.\r\n\r\nHaving a lot of money isn’t worth much if you don’t have your health and people with whom to share your life. Give your time and money to causes that better our society and our world.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33523,"title":"General Macs","slug":"general-macs","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33523"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":251826,"title":"Investing in Your 20s and 30s: Tips to Maximize Your Stock Market Returns","slug":"investing-20s-30s-tips-maximize-stock-market-returns","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251826"}},{"articleId":251823,"title":"Investing in Your 20s and 30s: Sidestep Common Minefields","slug":"investing-20s-30s-sidestep-common-minefields","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251823"}},{"articleId":251820,"title":"Investing in Your 20s and 30s: Avoid Temptations and Hype","slug":"investing-20s-30s-avoid-temptations-hype","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251820"}},{"articleId":251817,"title":"Investing in Your 20s and 30s: Alternatives to Money Market Mutual Funds","slug":"investing-20s-30s-alternatives-money-market-mutual-funds","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251817"}},{"articleId":251814,"title":"Investing in Your 20s and 30s: Alternatives to Bank Accounts","slug":"investing-20s-30s-alternatives-bank-accounts","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251814"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":267212,"title":"How to Establish an Apple Identity on a Mac","slug":"how-to-establish-an-apple-identity-on-a-mac","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/267212"}},{"articleId":267203,"title":"How to Store Your Data in iCloud","slug":"how-to-store-your-data-in-icloud","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/267203"}},{"articleId":267197,"title":"Safari Privacy: Safe Ways to Store Personal Info","slug":"safari-privacy-safe-ways-to-store-personal-info","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/267197"}},{"articleId":267194,"title":"How to Use Touch ID on Your Mac","slug":"how-to-use-touch-id-on-your-mac","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/267194"}},{"articleId":266528,"title":"How to Customize Your MacBook’s Catalina Firewall","slug":"how-to-customize-your-macbooks-catalina-firewall","categoryList":["technology","computers","macs","general-macs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/266528"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282312,"slug":"investing-in-your-20s-30s-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119805403","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119805406/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119805406/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119805406-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119805406/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119805406/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/investing-in-your-20s-30s-for-dummies-3e-cover-9781119805403-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Investing in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"8975\">Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a bestselling personal finance author, counselor, and writer. He is the author of the national bestselling financial books <i>Investing For Dummies, Personal Finance For Dummies,</i> and <i>Home Buying Kit For Dummies</i>.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;macs&quot;,&quot;general-macs&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119805403&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-632368716f3ec\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;macs&quot;,&quot;general-macs&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119805403&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-632368716fc7b\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":251738},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2017-10-05T01:14:37+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-08-16T20:48:41+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:56+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"PCs","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33536"},"slug":"pcs","categoryId":33536}],"title":"How to Restore a System Image on Your Windows PC","strippedTitle":"how to restore a system image on your windows pc","slug":"restore-system-image-windows-pc","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn when you would need to restore a system image on your Windows PC and the steps for using the system image.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The only time you need to restore a system image on your Windows PC is when the entire hard drive is dead, missing, or replaced with a cheese sandwich. With all that data gone, you have to rely upon three items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A recovery volume:</strong> Use this media to start the PC and access the Windows Recovery Environment. The tools presented help you navigate through recovery.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The system image:</strong> Use this information to restore Windows and other partitions as a base to rebuild your computer system. Tools on the recovery volume help you use the system image information.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>File History:</strong> Finally, with Windows restored, you run the File History program to recover your PC's lost files and programs.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYou don't need to restore a system image if you merely need to recover from a Windows disaster. The first thing you should try is System Restore. Second, you can try to reset the PC. Otherwise, the process of using the system image works like this:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Start the PC by using the Windows Recovery Environment.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose Troubleshoot.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose Advanced Options.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose System Image Recovery.</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\nPoint the system image recovery tool at the location of the system image files, and then sit back and wait as the system is rebuilt.\r\n\r\nYes, the process is more complex than four simple steps. For example, you may need a replacement hard drive. The good news is that you have the system image if you need it. Along with a recent backup, you can fully restore your system no matter what happens to the computer.","description":"The only time you need to restore a system image on your Windows PC is when the entire hard drive is dead, missing, or replaced with a cheese sandwich. With all that data gone, you have to rely upon three items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>A recovery volume:</strong> Use this media to start the PC and access the Windows Recovery Environment. The tools presented help you navigate through recovery.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The system image:</strong> Use this information to restore Windows and other partitions as a base to rebuild your computer system. Tools on the recovery volume help you use the system image information.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>File History:</strong> Finally, with Windows restored, you run the File History program to recover your PC's lost files and programs.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYou don't need to restore a system image if you merely need to recover from a Windows disaster. The first thing you should try is System Restore. Second, you can try to reset the PC. Otherwise, the process of using the system image works like this:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Start the PC by using the Windows Recovery Environment.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose Troubleshoot.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose Advanced Options.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose System Image Recovery.</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\nPoint the system image recovery tool at the location of the system image files, and then sit back and wait as the system is rebuilt.\r\n\r\nYes, the process is more complex than four simple steps. For example, you may need a replacement hard drive. The good news is that you have the system image if you need it. Along with a recent backup, you can fully restore your system no matter what happens to the computer.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9003,"name":"Dan Gookin","slug":"dan-gookin","description":" <p><b>Dan Gookin</b> wrote the very first <i>For Dummies</i> book in 1991. With more than 11 million copies in print, his books have been translated into 32 languages. <i>PCs For Dummies,</i> now in its 12th edition, is the bestselling beginning PC book in the world. Dan offers tips, games, and fun at www.wambooli.com. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9003"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33536,"title":"PCs","slug":"pcs","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33536"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":245446,"title":"How to Create the System Image for Your Windows PC","slug":"create-system-image-windows-pc","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245446"}},{"articleId":245443,"title":"Browsing File History","slug":"browsing-file-history","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245443"}},{"articleId":245440,"title":"Recovering an Older Version of a File with File History","slug":"recovering-older-version-file-file-history","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245440"}},{"articleId":245437,"title":"How to Select Folders for Backup on Your PC","slug":"select-folders-backup-pc","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245437"}},{"articleId":245434,"title":"Firewall Rules","slug":"firewall-rules","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245434"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":283471,"title":"Laptop Keyboards","slug":"laptop-keyboards","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283471"}},{"articleId":245446,"title":"How to Create the System Image for Your Windows PC","slug":"create-system-image-windows-pc","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245446"}},{"articleId":245443,"title":"Browsing File History","slug":"browsing-file-history","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245443"}},{"articleId":245440,"title":"Recovering an Older Version of a File with File History","slug":"recovering-older-version-file-file-history","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245440"}},{"articleId":245437,"title":"How to Select Folders for Backup on Your PC","slug":"select-folders-backup-pc","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/245437"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281884,"slug":"troubleshooting-maintaining-your-pc-all-in-one-for-dummies-3rd-edition","isbn":"9781119378358","categoryList":["technology","computers","pcs"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119378354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119378354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119378354-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119378354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119378354/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/troubleshooting-and-maintaining-your-pc-all-in-one-for-dummies-3rd-edition-cover-9781119378358-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Troubleshooting & Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"9003\">Dan Gookin</b></b> wrote the very first <i>For Dummies</i> book in 1991. With more than 11 million copies in print, his books have been translated into 32 languages. <i>PCs For Dummies,</i> now in its 12th edition, is the bestselling beginning PC book in the world. Dan offers tips, games, and fun at www.wambooli.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9003,"name":"Dan Gookin","slug":"dan-gookin","description":" <p><b>Dan Gookin</b> wrote the very first <i>For Dummies</i> book in 1991. With more than 11 million copies in print, his books have been translated into 32 languages. <i>PCs For Dummies,</i> now in its 12th edition, is the bestselling beginning PC book in the world. Dan offers tips, games, and fun at www.wambooli.com. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9003"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;pcs&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119378358&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4c557a8\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;pcs&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119378358&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4c562a0\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-08-16T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":244894},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T14:42:53+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-08-16T19:45:11+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:56+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Hardware","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33516"},"slug":"hardware","categoryId":33516},{"name":"Arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"},"slug":"arduino","categoryId":33517}],"title":"How to Complete Your First Arduino Sketch","strippedTitle":"how to complete your first arduino sketch","slug":"how-to-complete-your-first-arduino-sketch","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Once you have the basics, you can now complete your first sketch. In front of you now should be an Arduino Uno R3, a USB cable, and a computer running your choi","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Once you have the basics, you can now complete your first sketch. In front of you now should be an Arduino Uno R3, a USB cable, and a computer running your choice of operating system (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux).\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Find the Blink Sketch</h2>\r\nTo make sure that the Arduino software is talking to the hardware, you upload a <i>sketch</i>. What is a sketch, you ask? Arduino was created as a device that allows people to quickly prototype and test ideas using little bits of code that demonstrate the idea — kind of like how you might sketch out an idea on paper.\r\n\r\nFor this reason, programs written for Arduino are referred to as sketches. Although a device for quick prototyping was its starting point, Arduino devices are being used for increasingly complex operations. So don't infer from the name <i>sketch</i> that an Arduino program is trivial in any way.\r\n\r\nThe specific sketch you want to use here is called Blink. It's about the most basic sketch you can write, a sort of “Hello, world!” for Arduino. Click in the Arduino window. From the menu bar, choose File→Examples→01.Basics→Blink.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381340.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nA new window opens in front of your blank sketch.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381341.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Identify your board</h2>\r\nBefore you can upload the sketch, you need to check a few things. First you should confirm which board you have. You can choose from a variety of Arduino devices and several variations on the USB board. The latest generation of USB boards is the Uno R3.\r\n\r\nIf you bought your device new, you can be fairly certain that this is the type of board you have. To make doubly sure, check the back of the board. You should see details about the board's model.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381342.image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"390\" />\r\n\r\nAlso worth checking is the ATMEL chip on the Arduino. The ATMEL chip is the brains of the Arduino and is similar to the processor in your computer. Because the Uno and earlier boards allow you to replace the chip, there is always a chance, especially with a used board, that the chip has been replaced with a different one.\r\n\r\nAlthough the ATMEL chip looks quite distinctive on an individual board, if you compare it to an older Arduino, telling them apart at first glance would be difficult. The important distinguishing feature is written on the surface of the chip. In this case, you are looking for ATmega328P-PU.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381343.image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Configure the software</h2>\r\nAfter you confirm the type of board you are using, you have to provide that information to the software. From the Arduino main menu bar (at the top of the Arduino window on Windows and at the top of the screen on Mac OS X), choose Tools→Board. You should see a list of the different kinds of boards supported by the Arduino software. Select your board from the list.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381344.image4.jpg\" alt=\"image4.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nNext, you need to select the serial port. The serial port is the connection that enables your computer and the Arduino device to communicate. <i>Serial</i> describes the way that data is sent, one bit of data (0 or 1) at a time. The <i>port</i> the physical interface, in this case a USB socket.\r\n\r\nTo determine the serial port, choose Tools→Serial Port. A list displays of devices connected to your computer. This list contains any device that can talk in serial, but for the moment, you're only interested in finding the Arduino.\r\n\r\nIf you've just installed Arduino and plugged it in, it should be at the top of the list. For OS X users, this is shown as <span class=\"code\">/dev/tty.usbmodemXXXXXX</span> (where XXXXXX is a randomly signed number). On Windows, the same is true, but the serial ports are named <span class=\"code\">COM1</span>, <span class=\"code\">COM2</span>, <span class=\"code\">COM3</span>, and so on. The highest number is usually the most recent device.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381345.image5.jpg\" alt=\"image5.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nAfter you find your serial port, select it. It should appear in the bottom right of the Arduino GUI, along with the board you selected.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381346.image6.jpg\" alt=\"image6.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Upload the sketch</h2>\r\nNow that you have told the Arduino software what kind of board you are communicating with and which serial port connection it is using, you can upload the Blink sketch.\r\n\r\nFirst click the Verify button. Verify checks the code to make sure it makes sense. This doesn't necessarily mean your code will do what you are anticipating, but it verifies that the syntax is written in a way Arduino can understand. You should see a progress bar and the text <span class=\"code\">Compiling Sketch</span> for a few seconds, followed by the text <span class=\"code\">Done compiling</span> after the process has finished.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381347.image7.jpg\" alt=\"image7.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nIf the sketch compiled successfully, you can click the Upload button next to the verify button. A progress bar appears, and you see lots of activity on your board from the two LEDs marked RX and TX. These show that the Arduino is sending and receiving data. After a few seconds, the RX and TX LEDs stop blinking, and a <span class=\"code\">Done Uploading</span> message appears at the bottom of the window.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381348.image8.jpg\" alt=\"image8.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nYou should see the LED marked L blinking away reassuringly: on for a second, off for a second. If that is the case, give yourself a pat on the back. You've just uploaded your first piece of Arduino code and entered the world of physical computing!\r\n\r\nIf you don't see the blinking L, review the preceding steps. Make sure you have installed Arduino properly and then give it one more go. If you still don't see the blinking L, check out the excellent <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">troubleshooting page</a> on the official Arduino site.\r\n\r\nWithout breaking a sweat you've just uploaded your first sketch to an Arduino.","description":"Once you have the basics, you can now complete your first sketch. In front of you now should be an Arduino Uno R3, a USB cable, and a computer running your choice of operating system (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux).\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Find the Blink Sketch</h2>\r\nTo make sure that the Arduino software is talking to the hardware, you upload a <i>sketch</i>. What is a sketch, you ask? Arduino was created as a device that allows people to quickly prototype and test ideas using little bits of code that demonstrate the idea — kind of like how you might sketch out an idea on paper.\r\n\r\nFor this reason, programs written for Arduino are referred to as sketches. Although a device for quick prototyping was its starting point, Arduino devices are being used for increasingly complex operations. So don't infer from the name <i>sketch</i> that an Arduino program is trivial in any way.\r\n\r\nThe specific sketch you want to use here is called Blink. It's about the most basic sketch you can write, a sort of “Hello, world!” for Arduino. Click in the Arduino window. From the menu bar, choose File→Examples→01.Basics→Blink.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381340.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nA new window opens in front of your blank sketch.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381341.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Identify your board</h2>\r\nBefore you can upload the sketch, you need to check a few things. First you should confirm which board you have. You can choose from a variety of Arduino devices and several variations on the USB board. The latest generation of USB boards is the Uno R3.\r\n\r\nIf you bought your device new, you can be fairly certain that this is the type of board you have. To make doubly sure, check the back of the board. You should see details about the board's model.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381342.image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"390\" />\r\n\r\nAlso worth checking is the ATMEL chip on the Arduino. The ATMEL chip is the brains of the Arduino and is similar to the processor in your computer. Because the Uno and earlier boards allow you to replace the chip, there is always a chance, especially with a used board, that the chip has been replaced with a different one.\r\n\r\nAlthough the ATMEL chip looks quite distinctive on an individual board, if you compare it to an older Arduino, telling them apart at first glance would be difficult. The important distinguishing feature is written on the surface of the chip. In this case, you are looking for ATmega328P-PU.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381343.image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Configure the software</h2>\r\nAfter you confirm the type of board you are using, you have to provide that information to the software. From the Arduino main menu bar (at the top of the Arduino window on Windows and at the top of the screen on Mac OS X), choose Tools→Board. You should see a list of the different kinds of boards supported by the Arduino software. Select your board from the list.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381344.image4.jpg\" alt=\"image4.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nNext, you need to select the serial port. The serial port is the connection that enables your computer and the Arduino device to communicate. <i>Serial</i> describes the way that data is sent, one bit of data (0 or 1) at a time. The <i>port</i> the physical interface, in this case a USB socket.\r\n\r\nTo determine the serial port, choose Tools→Serial Port. A list displays of devices connected to your computer. This list contains any device that can talk in serial, but for the moment, you're only interested in finding the Arduino.\r\n\r\nIf you've just installed Arduino and plugged it in, it should be at the top of the list. For OS X users, this is shown as <span class=\"code\">/dev/tty.usbmodemXXXXXX</span> (where XXXXXX is a randomly signed number). On Windows, the same is true, but the serial ports are named <span class=\"code\">COM1</span>, <span class=\"code\">COM2</span>, <span class=\"code\">COM3</span>, and so on. The highest number is usually the most recent device.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381345.image5.jpg\" alt=\"image5.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nAfter you find your serial port, select it. It should appear in the bottom right of the Arduino GUI, along with the board you selected.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381346.image6.jpg\" alt=\"image6.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Upload the sketch</h2>\r\nNow that you have told the Arduino software what kind of board you are communicating with and which serial port connection it is using, you can upload the Blink sketch.\r\n\r\nFirst click the Verify button. Verify checks the code to make sure it makes sense. This doesn't necessarily mean your code will do what you are anticipating, but it verifies that the syntax is written in a way Arduino can understand. You should see a progress bar and the text <span class=\"code\">Compiling Sketch</span> for a few seconds, followed by the text <span class=\"code\">Done compiling</span> after the process has finished.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381347.image7.jpg\" alt=\"image7.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nIf the sketch compiled successfully, you can click the Upload button next to the verify button. A progress bar appears, and you see lots of activity on your board from the two LEDs marked RX and TX. These show that the Arduino is sending and receiving data. After a few seconds, the RX and TX LEDs stop blinking, and a <span class=\"code\">Done Uploading</span> message appears at the bottom of the window.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/381348.image8.jpg\" alt=\"image8.jpg\" width=\"344\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nYou should see the LED marked L blinking away reassuringly: on for a second, off for a second. If that is the case, give yourself a pat on the back. You've just uploaded your first piece of Arduino code and entered the world of physical computing!\r\n\r\nIf you don't see the blinking L, review the preceding steps. Make sure you have installed Arduino properly and then give it one more go. If you still don't see the blinking L, check out the excellent <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">troubleshooting page</a> on the official Arduino site.\r\n\r\nWithout breaking a sweat you've just uploaded your first sketch to an Arduino.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9682,"name":"John Nussey","slug":"john-nussey","description":" \t <p><b>John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. He has worked with Arduino for many years to prototype products and create interactive artwork. A proud Arduino advocate, he has taught the craft of physical computing and prototyping to people of all ages, competencies, and abilities. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9682"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33517,"title":"Arduino","slug":"arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Find the Blink Sketch","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Identify your board","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Configure the software","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Upload the sketch","target":"#tab4"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":258607,"title":"What You Should Know about Arduino Sensors: Using Capacitive Sensors","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-arduino-sensors-using-capacitive-sensors","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258607"}},{"articleId":258604,"title":"10 Awesome Arduino Resources","slug":"10-awesome-arduino-resources","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258604"}},{"articleId":258598,"title":"Finding and Browsing Arduino Libraries","slug":"finding-and-browsing-arduino-libraries","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258598"}},{"articleId":258590,"title":"An Overview of Arduino Shields","slug":"an-overview-of-arduino-shields","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258590"}},{"articleId":258583,"title":"How to Assemble an Arduino Shield","slug":"how-to-assemble-an-arduino-shield","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258583"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;hardware&quot;,&quot;arduino&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4c099d2\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;hardware&quot;,&quot;arduino&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4c0a47a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-07-20T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":164747},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T14:25:53+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-08-02T17:49:31+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:50+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Operating Systems","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33524"},"slug":"operating-systems","categoryId":33524},{"name":"Windows","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33532"},"slug":"windows","categoryId":33532},{"name":"Windows 10","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33535"},"slug":"windows-10","categoryId":33535}],"title":"How to Open a Port in the Windows 7 Firewall","strippedTitle":"how to open a port in the windows 7 firewall","slug":"how-to-open-a-port-in-the-windows-7-firewall","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to set up a Windows firewall with an open port to allow for specific applications while protecting your computer.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"When you use a firewall — and you should — you change the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you open a port in the Windows firewall to let a specific IP communicate with your computer. For example, if you want to play many online games.\r\n\r\nMost first-time firewallers are overwhelmed by the idea of opening a port. Although open ports are a security threat, sometimes you truly need to open one. Still, you may need to open a port to enable a specific application. For example, when you select the check box to allow Remote Desktop, you’re opening port 3389. That’s the security price you pay for enabling programs to talk to each other.In general, if you need to open a specific port, the documentation for the program (game, torrent downloader, file sharer) will tell you . . . assuming you read the program’s manual.","description":"When you use a firewall — and you should — you change the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you open a port in the Windows firewall to let a specific IP communicate with your computer. For example, if you want to play many online games.\r\n\r\nMost first-time firewallers are overwhelmed by the idea of opening a port. Although open ports are a security threat, sometimes you truly need to open one. Still, you may need to open a port to enable a specific application. For example, when you select the check box to allow Remote Desktop, you’re opening port 3389. That’s the security price you pay for enabling programs to talk to each other.In general, if you need to open a specific port, the documentation for the program (game, torrent downloader, file sharer) will tell you . . . assuming you read the program’s manual.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9068,"name":"Woody Leonhard","slug":"woody-leonhard","description":" <b>Woody Leonhard</b> is a bestselling author and has been a Microsoft beta tester since Word for Windows 1.1. 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Click the System and Security link and then click Windows Firewall.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146665.image1.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146664.image0.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>You see the main Windows Firewall control window.</p>\n"},{"title":"On the left, click the Advanced Settings link.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146667.image3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146666.image2.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>You see the Windows Firewall sanctum sanctorum.</p>\n"},{"title":"On the left, click Inbound Rules. Then, on the right, under Actions, click the New Rule link.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146669.image5.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146668.image4.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>Windows Firewall shows you the New Inbound Rule Wizard.</p>\n"},{"title":"Select the option marked Port and click Next.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>The wizard asks you to specify which ports.</p>\n"},{"title":"In the Specific Local Ports box, type the ports you want to open, separated by commas, and then click Next.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>For example, in this case, the TCP ports that need to be opened are 418, 419, 420, and 421. The wizard takes action and opens those ports to receive data.</p>\n"},{"title":"Choose Allow the Connection and click Next.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>The New Inbound Rule Wizard wants to know whether it should apply this rule if you’re connected to a domain network, a private network, or a public network. The safest option is to make it only open on your home network.</p>\n"},{"title":"Check the boxes for Private or any other desired network type, and then click Next.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>The wizard asks that you give the rule a name and, optionally, a description.</p>\n"},{"title":"Type a name (usually the name of whatever program required the opening). Click Finish.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146671.image7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146670.image6.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>Your new rule appears in the Inbound Rules list. It takes effect immediately.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-08-02T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":206351},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T14:25:59+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-08-02T17:46:36+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:50+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Operating Systems","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33524"},"slug":"operating-systems","categoryId":33524},{"name":"Windows","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33532"},"slug":"windows","categoryId":33532},{"name":"Windows 10","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33535"},"slug":"windows-10","categoryId":33535}],"title":"Windows 7: Set Up an Inbound Exception in Windows Firewall","strippedTitle":"windows 7: set up an inbound exception in windows firewall","slug":"windows-7-set-up-an-inbound-exception-in-windows-firewall","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to set up a firewall with a specific inbound exception to protect your computer while allowing for necessary communications.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Setting up a firewall is an effective way to protect your computer from outside cyber attackers and malicious software. But keep in mind that by setting up a firewall, you are changing the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you set up a specific inbound exception in the Windows firewall to let a program in.\r\n\r\nSome of your programs won’t respond until they receive a signal via the Internet. If you have a program that doesn’t poke its own hole through the Windows Firewall, you can tell the firewall to allow packets destined for that specific program — and <i>only</i> that program — in through the firewall.","description":"Setting up a firewall is an effective way to protect your computer from outside cyber attackers and malicious software. But keep in mind that by setting up a firewall, you are changing the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you set up a specific inbound exception in the Windows firewall to let a program in.\r\n\r\nSome of your programs won’t respond until they receive a signal via the Internet. If you have a program that doesn’t poke its own hole through the Windows Firewall, you can tell the firewall to allow packets destined for that specific program — and <i>only</i> that program — in through the firewall.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9068,"name":"Woody Leonhard","slug":"woody-leonhard","description":" <b>Woody Leonhard</b> is a bestselling author and has been a Microsoft beta tester since Word for Windows 1.1. He covers Windows and Office topics on his popular Web site, AskWoody.com.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9068"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33535,"title":"Windows 10","slug":"windows-10","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33535"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":209482,"title":"Windows 7 All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"windows-7-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/209482"}},{"articleId":206351,"title":"How to Open a Port in the Windows 7 Firewall","slug":"how-to-open-a-port-in-the-windows-7-firewall","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206351"}},{"articleId":206349,"title":"How to Add Gadgets to the Windows 7 Desktop","slug":"how-to-add-gadgets-to-the-windows-7-desktop","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206349"}},{"articleId":206348,"title":"How to Restore the Quick Launch Toolbar to the Taskbar in Windows 7","slug":"how-to-restore-the-quick-launch-toolbar-to-the-taskbar-in-windows-7","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206348"}},{"articleId":206347,"title":"How to Use the Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7","slug":"how-to-use-the-problem-steps-recorder-in-windows-7","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206347"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":285564,"title":"How to Use Android and iPhone Devices with Windows 10","slug":"how-to-use-android-and-iphone-devices-with-windows-10","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285564"}},{"articleId":285540,"title":"How to Work Remotely with Windows 10","slug":"how-to-work-remotely-with-windows-10","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285540"}},{"articleId":283486,"title":"Your Laptop and Windows","slug":"your-laptop-and-windows","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283486"}},{"articleId":272866,"title":"How to Create Microsoft and Local Accounts in Windows 10","slug":"how-to-create-microsoft-and-local-accounts-in-windows-10","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/272866"}},{"articleId":272856,"title":"How to Open Windows 10 Apps","slug":"how-to-open-windows-10-apps","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/272856"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281895,"slug":"windows-7-all-in-one-for-dummies","isbn":"9780470487631","categoryList":["technology","computers","operating-systems","windows","windows-10"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470487631/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0470487631/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/0470487631-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0470487631/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0470487631/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/windows-7-all-in-one-for-dummies-cover-9780470487631-204x255.jpg","width":204,"height":255},"title":"Windows 7 All-in-One For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<b data-author-id=\"9068\">Woody Leonhard</b> describes himself as a \"Windows victim.\" Since 1992, he's been sharing the solutions to his own tech problems with millions of readers. In addition to writing several books in the For Dummies series, Woody is a Contributing Editor for <i>Windows Secrets</i> newsletter. He also runs his own blog at AskWoody.com.","authors":[{"authorId":9068,"name":"Woody Leonhard","slug":"woody-leonhard","description":" <b>Woody Leonhard</b> is a bestselling author and has been a Microsoft beta tester since Word for Windows 1.1. He covers Windows and Office topics on his popular Web site, AskWoody.com.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9068"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;windows&quot;,&quot;windows-10&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780470487631&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b465b16c\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;operating-systems&quot;,&quot;windows&quot;,&quot;windows-10&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780470487631&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b465bbd9\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Step by Step","articleList":null,"content":[{"title":"Choose Start→Control Panel. Click the System and Security link; click Windows Firewall.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146685.image1.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146684.image0.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>You see the main Windows Firewall control window.</p>\n"},{"title":"On the left, click the link labeled Allow a Program or Feature through Windows Firewall.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146687.image3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146686.image2.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>Windows Firewall presents you with a lengthy list of programs: If a box is checked, it means that Windows Firewall will allow incoming packets of data directed to that program.</p>\n<p>The list varies depending on whether you’re connected to a home or work network (a private network) or a public network. There are many programs that won’t be allowed to receive unsolicited packets on a public network, such as Windows Media Player.</p>\n"},{"title":"Select the program’s check box depending on the type of network you want to be connected to when you allow the unsolicited incoming data.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>It’s rare indeed that you would allow access when connected to a public network but not to a home or work network.</p>\n"},{"title":"If you can’t find a program, click the Change Settings button at the top and then click the Allow Another Program button at the bottom.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146689.image5.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146688.image4.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>Windows Firewall goes out to all common program locations and finally presents you with a list of available programs. It can take a while.</p>\n"},{"title":"If you still don’t see the program you want, click the Browse button and locate the program. Select it and click Open.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>The program you chose appears on the Add a Program list.</p>\n"},{"title":"Choose the program you want to add and click the Add button.","thumb":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146691.image7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/146690.image6.jpg","width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>The Allow Programs list reappears with you program added. For this example, we added a program called <span class=\"code\">PokeMeThrough.exe</span>.</p>\n<p>Realize that you’re opening a potential, albeit small, security hole. If you authorize a renegade program to accept incoming packets, the bad program could let the fox into the chicken coop.</p>\n"},{"title":"Select the check boxes for your poked-through program. Then Click OK.","thumb":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"content":"<p>Your poked-through program can immediately start handling inbound data.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-08-02T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":206352},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-12-21T16:18:10+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-07-20T14:28:54+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:46+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Hardware","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33516"},"slug":"hardware","categoryId":33516},{"name":"Arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"},"slug":"arduino","categoryId":33517}],"title":"Finding and Browsing Arduino Libraries","strippedTitle":"finding and browsing arduino libraries","slug":"finding-and-browsing-arduino-libraries","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Basic Arduino sketches can get you quite a long way, but when you become more advanced you need to know about libraries. Libraries provide extra functionality t","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Basic Arduino sketches can get you quite a long way, but when you become more advanced you need to know about libraries. <em>Libraries</em> provide extra functionality to your Arduino sketch, either to use specific hardware or to incorporate more complex functions in software. In the same way that you’d go to a physical library to learn something new, you include libraries in your code to teach your Arduino something new. By including a library in a sketch, you can quickly and easily access functions to help you achieve your goals.\r\n\r\nGetting started with complex hardware or software can be difficult. Luckily, a lot of people have taken the time to document their progress and have released libraries, often with examples, that you can easily integrate into your own Arduino sketches. From this, it’s possible to get something working and gain a better understanding of it. This learn-by-doing approach of Arduino allows you to make a lot of progress quickly and easily with hardware or software that would otherwise be a huge challenge.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Standard Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nStandard Arduino libraries refers to a selection of the libraries included in the current release of Arduino at the time of writing (1.8.5). The standard libraries cover a wide range of subject areas and are usually popular topics that have been heavily documented. You can find these libraries by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries.\r\n\r\nChoosing a library includes one line at the top of your current sketch, such as <code>#include &lt;EEPROM.h&gt;</code>. Before you attempt to understand a library, you should try an example of it. You'll find examples at the bottom of the menu that appears at when you choose File →   Examples.\r\n\r\nHere is a brief description of what each Arduino library does:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/EEPROM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EEPROM</a>:</strong> Your Arduino has electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which is permanent storage similar to the hard drive in a computer. Data stored in this location stays there even if your Arduino is powered down. Using the EEPROM library, you can read from and write to this memory.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Ethernet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ethernet</a>:</strong> After you have your Ethernet shield, the Ethernet library allows you to quickly and easily start talking to the Internet. When you use this library, your Arduino can act either as a server that is accessible to other devices or as a client that requests data.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Firmata\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Firmata</a>:</strong> Firmata is one way to control your Arduino from software on a computer. It is a standard communication protocol, so you can use the library to allow easy communication between hardware and software rather than write your own communication software.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/LiquidCrystal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LiquidCrystal</a>:</strong> The LiquidCrystal library helps your Arduino talk to most liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The library is based on the Hitachi HD44780 driver, and you can usually identify these displays by their 16-pin interface.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SD</a>:</strong> The SD library allows you to read from and write to SD and microSD cards connected to your Arduino. SD cards need to use SPI to transfer data quickly, which happens on pins 11, 12, and 13. You also need to have another pin to select the SD card when it’s needed.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Servo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Servo</a>:</strong> The Servo library allows you to control up to 12 servo motors on the Uno R3 (and up to 48 on the Mega). Most hobby servos turn 180 degrees, and using this library, you can specify the degree that you want your servo(s) to turn to.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SPI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SPI</a>:</strong> The Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a method of communication that allows your Arduino to communicate very quickly with one or more devices over a short distance. Example of this communication include receiving data from sensors, talking to peripherals such as an SD card reader, and communicating with another microcontroller.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SoftwareSerial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SoftwareSerial</a>:</strong> The SoftwareSerial library allows you to use any digital pins to send and receive serial messages instead of, or in addition to, the usual hardware pins (0 and 1). This capability is great if you want to keep the hardware pins free for communication to a computer, allowing you to have a permanent debug connection to your project while still being able to upload new sketches or to send duplicate data to multiple serial devices.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Stepper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stepper</a>:</strong> The Stepper library allows you to control stepper motors from your Arduino. This code also requires the appropriate hardware to work, so make sure to read <a href=\"https://www.tigoe.com/pcomp/code/circuits/motors/stepper-motors/\">Tom Igoe’s notes on the subject</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/WiFi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wi-Fi</a>:</strong> The WiFi library is based on the Ethernet library listed previously, but with alterations specific to the Wi-Fi shield to allow you to wirelessly connect to the Internet. The WiFi library also works well with the SD library, allowing you to store data on the shield.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Wire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wire</a>:</strong> The Wire library allows your Arduino to communicate with I2C devices (also known as TWI, or two-wire interface). Such devices could be addressable LEDs or a Wii Nunchuk, for example.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Additional Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nMany libraries aren’t included in the Arduino software by default. Some libraries are for unique applications such as specific hardware or functions; others are refinements or adaptations of existing libraries. Luckily, Arduino makes including these easy, so you can quickly try them all to see which are right for your needs.\r\n\r\nMost libraries are easily installed by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries from the Arduino IDE menu. The Library Manager dialog box displays an easily searchable list of libraries submitted to the Arduino servers and approved for release.\r\n\r\nLibraries may also be distributed as ZIP files that have the same name as the library; for example, the capacitive sensing library CapSense should be distributed as <code>CapSense.zip</code> and should contain a folder of the same name when unzipped.\r\n\r\nInside the folder there are files ending in <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code>, such as <code>CapPin.h</code> and <code>CapPin.cpp</code>, and maybe even an Examples folder. If your <code>.zip</code> file contains only loose <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code> files, you should place them in a folder with a library name. Sometimes you may find many <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code> files that all perform different functions in the library, so make sure they're all inside the folder.\r\n\r\nIn the latest release of Arduino (1.8.5 at the time of this writing), it’s easy to include libraries distributed as ZIP files. Simply choose Sketch →   Include Library →   Add .ZIP Library and select the ZIP file containing the library.\r\n\r\nAfter the library is installed, restart Arduino and choose Sketch →   Include Library to check that your library is in the list.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_258599\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-258599 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-libraries-menu.jpg\" alt=\"Arduino libraries menu\" width=\"535\" height=\"334\" /> The Arduino menu shows the library in the Import Library drop-down list.[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIf the library has an Examples folder, you should also be able to see the examples by choosing File →   Examples and then choosing the name of the library.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_258600\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-258600 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-library-examples.jpg\" alt=\"Arduino library examples\" width=\"535\" height=\"334\" /> If there are examples with the library, you'll see them in the menu.[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThat’s all there is to installing a library. Removing a library is as simple: just take the library folder out of the Arduino Sketch folder.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Contributed Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nA long list of community-contributed libraries appears on the <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino libraries page</a> and an exhaustive list appears on the <a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/LibraryList\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino Playground</a>.\r\n\r\nTo become familiar with contributed libraries, start with CapSense and TimerOne, two commonly used and helpful libraries:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"https://playground.arduino.cc/Main/CapacitiveSensor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CapSense</a>:</strong> The CapSense library allows you to make one or many pins on your Arduino into capacitive sensors. This feature allows you to make simple touch, pressure, or presence detection sensors quickly and easily with little hardware.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The Arduino Playground page has a lot of useful information, but a more recent version of the code can be found on <a href=\"http://www.github.com/moderndevice/CapSense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GitHub</a>.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/timerone/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TimerOne</a>:</strong> TimerOne (also called Timer1) uses a hardware timer on your Arduino to perform timed events at regular intervals. It’s a great library for reading sensor data regularly without interrupting what’s going on in the main loop. You can find a TimerOne page on the Arduino Playground and an up-to-date version of the library on <a href=\"https://code.google.com/archive/p/arduino-timerone/downloads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Code</a>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you’re keen to understand libraries more and maybe even write your own, check out the introduction to writing your own libraries on the <a href=\"https://github.com/arduino/library-registry/blob/main/FAQ.md#readme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino GitHub page</a>.","description":"Basic Arduino sketches can get you quite a long way, but when you become more advanced you need to know about libraries. <em>Libraries</em> provide extra functionality to your Arduino sketch, either to use specific hardware or to incorporate more complex functions in software. In the same way that you’d go to a physical library to learn something new, you include libraries in your code to teach your Arduino something new. By including a library in a sketch, you can quickly and easily access functions to help you achieve your goals.\r\n\r\nGetting started with complex hardware or software can be difficult. Luckily, a lot of people have taken the time to document their progress and have released libraries, often with examples, that you can easily integrate into your own Arduino sketches. From this, it’s possible to get something working and gain a better understanding of it. This learn-by-doing approach of Arduino allows you to make a lot of progress quickly and easily with hardware or software that would otherwise be a huge challenge.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Standard Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nStandard Arduino libraries refers to a selection of the libraries included in the current release of Arduino at the time of writing (1.8.5). The standard libraries cover a wide range of subject areas and are usually popular topics that have been heavily documented. You can find these libraries by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries.\r\n\r\nChoosing a library includes one line at the top of your current sketch, such as <code>#include &lt;EEPROM.h&gt;</code>. Before you attempt to understand a library, you should try an example of it. You'll find examples at the bottom of the menu that appears at when you choose File →   Examples.\r\n\r\nHere is a brief description of what each Arduino library does:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/EEPROM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EEPROM</a>:</strong> Your Arduino has electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which is permanent storage similar to the hard drive in a computer. Data stored in this location stays there even if your Arduino is powered down. Using the EEPROM library, you can read from and write to this memory.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Ethernet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ethernet</a>:</strong> After you have your Ethernet shield, the Ethernet library allows you to quickly and easily start talking to the Internet. When you use this library, your Arduino can act either as a server that is accessible to other devices or as a client that requests data.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Firmata\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Firmata</a>:</strong> Firmata is one way to control your Arduino from software on a computer. It is a standard communication protocol, so you can use the library to allow easy communication between hardware and software rather than write your own communication software.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/LiquidCrystal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LiquidCrystal</a>:</strong> The LiquidCrystal library helps your Arduino talk to most liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The library is based on the Hitachi HD44780 driver, and you can usually identify these displays by their 16-pin interface.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SD</a>:</strong> The SD library allows you to read from and write to SD and microSD cards connected to your Arduino. SD cards need to use SPI to transfer data quickly, which happens on pins 11, 12, and 13. You also need to have another pin to select the SD card when it’s needed.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Servo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Servo</a>:</strong> The Servo library allows you to control up to 12 servo motors on the Uno R3 (and up to 48 on the Mega). Most hobby servos turn 180 degrees, and using this library, you can specify the degree that you want your servo(s) to turn to.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SPI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SPI</a>:</strong> The Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a method of communication that allows your Arduino to communicate very quickly with one or more devices over a short distance. Example of this communication include receiving data from sensors, talking to peripherals such as an SD card reader, and communicating with another microcontroller.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SoftwareSerial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SoftwareSerial</a>:</strong> The SoftwareSerial library allows you to use any digital pins to send and receive serial messages instead of, or in addition to, the usual hardware pins (0 and 1). This capability is great if you want to keep the hardware pins free for communication to a computer, allowing you to have a permanent debug connection to your project while still being able to upload new sketches or to send duplicate data to multiple serial devices.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Stepper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stepper</a>:</strong> The Stepper library allows you to control stepper motors from your Arduino. This code also requires the appropriate hardware to work, so make sure to read <a href=\"https://www.tigoe.com/pcomp/code/circuits/motors/stepper-motors/\">Tom Igoe’s notes on the subject</a>.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/WiFi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wi-Fi</a>:</strong> The WiFi library is based on the Ethernet library listed previously, but with alterations specific to the Wi-Fi shield to allow you to wirelessly connect to the Internet. The WiFi library also works well with the SD library, allowing you to store data on the shield.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Wire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wire</a>:</strong> The Wire library allows your Arduino to communicate with I2C devices (also known as TWI, or two-wire interface). Such devices could be addressable LEDs or a Wii Nunchuk, for example.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Additional Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nMany libraries aren’t included in the Arduino software by default. Some libraries are for unique applications such as specific hardware or functions; others are refinements or adaptations of existing libraries. Luckily, Arduino makes including these easy, so you can quickly try them all to see which are right for your needs.\r\n\r\nMost libraries are easily installed by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries from the Arduino IDE menu. The Library Manager dialog box displays an easily searchable list of libraries submitted to the Arduino servers and approved for release.\r\n\r\nLibraries may also be distributed as ZIP files that have the same name as the library; for example, the capacitive sensing library CapSense should be distributed as <code>CapSense.zip</code> and should contain a folder of the same name when unzipped.\r\n\r\nInside the folder there are files ending in <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code>, such as <code>CapPin.h</code> and <code>CapPin.cpp</code>, and maybe even an Examples folder. If your <code>.zip</code> file contains only loose <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code> files, you should place them in a folder with a library name. Sometimes you may find many <code>.h</code> and <code>.cpp</code> files that all perform different functions in the library, so make sure they're all inside the folder.\r\n\r\nIn the latest release of Arduino (1.8.5 at the time of this writing), it’s easy to include libraries distributed as ZIP files. Simply choose Sketch →   Include Library →   Add .ZIP Library and select the ZIP file containing the library.\r\n\r\nAfter the library is installed, restart Arduino and choose Sketch →   Include Library to check that your library is in the list.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_258599\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-258599 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-libraries-menu.jpg\" alt=\"Arduino libraries menu\" width=\"535\" height=\"334\" /> The Arduino menu shows the library in the Import Library drop-down list.[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIf the library has an Examples folder, you should also be able to see the examples by choosing File →   Examples and then choosing the name of the library.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_258600\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-258600 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-library-examples.jpg\" alt=\"Arduino library examples\" width=\"535\" height=\"334\" /> If there are examples with the library, you'll see them in the menu.[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThat’s all there is to installing a library. Removing a library is as simple: just take the library folder out of the Arduino Sketch folder.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Contributed Arduino libraries</h2>\r\nA long list of community-contributed libraries appears on the <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino libraries page</a> and an exhaustive list appears on the <a href=\"http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/LibraryList\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino Playground</a>.\r\n\r\nTo become familiar with contributed libraries, start with CapSense and TimerOne, two commonly used and helpful libraries:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"https://playground.arduino.cc/Main/CapacitiveSensor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CapSense</a>:</strong> The CapSense library allows you to make one or many pins on your Arduino into capacitive sensors. This feature allows you to make simple touch, pressure, or presence detection sensors quickly and easily with little hardware.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The Arduino Playground page has a lot of useful information, but a more recent version of the code can be found on <a href=\"http://www.github.com/moderndevice/CapSense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GitHub</a>.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/timerone/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TimerOne</a>:</strong> TimerOne (also called Timer1) uses a hardware timer on your Arduino to perform timed events at regular intervals. It’s a great library for reading sensor data regularly without interrupting what’s going on in the main loop. You can find a TimerOne page on the Arduino Playground and an up-to-date version of the library on <a href=\"https://code.google.com/archive/p/arduino-timerone/downloads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Code</a>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you’re keen to understand libraries more and maybe even write your own, check out the introduction to writing your own libraries on the <a href=\"https://github.com/arduino/library-registry/blob/main/FAQ.md#readme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arduino GitHub page</a>.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9682,"name":"John Nussey","slug":"john-nussey","description":" \t <p><b>John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. He has worked with Arduino for many years to prototype products and create interactive artwork. A proud Arduino advocate, he has taught the craft of physical computing and prototyping to people of all ages, competencies, and abilities. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9682"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33517,"title":"Arduino","slug":"arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Standard Arduino libraries","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Additional Arduino libraries","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Contributed Arduino libraries","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":258607,"title":"What You Should Know about Arduino Sensors: Using Capacitive Sensors","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-arduino-sensors-using-capacitive-sensors","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258607"}},{"articleId":258604,"title":"10 Awesome Arduino Resources","slug":"10-awesome-arduino-resources","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258604"}},{"articleId":258590,"title":"An Overview of Arduino Shields","slug":"an-overview-of-arduino-shields","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258590"}},{"articleId":258583,"title":"How to Assemble an Arduino Shield","slug":"how-to-assemble-an-arduino-shield","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258583"}},{"articleId":258576,"title":"What is Arduino?","slug":"what-is-arduino","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258576"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":258607,"title":"What You Should Know about Arduino Sensors: Using Capacitive Sensors","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-arduino-sensors-using-capacitive-sensors","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258607"}},{"articleId":258604,"title":"10 Awesome Arduino Resources","slug":"10-awesome-arduino-resources","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258604"}},{"articleId":258590,"title":"An Overview of Arduino Shields","slug":"an-overview-of-arduino-shields","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258590"}},{"articleId":258583,"title":"How to Assemble an Arduino Shield","slug":"how-to-assemble-an-arduino-shield","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258583"}},{"articleId":258576,"title":"What is Arduino?","slug":"what-is-arduino","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258576"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281630,"slug":"arduino-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9781119489542","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119489547-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119489542-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Arduino For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9682\">John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. He has worked with Arduino for many years to prototype products and create interactive artwork. A proud Arduino advocate, he has taught the craft of physical computing and prototyping to people of all ages, competencies, and abilities. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9682,"name":"John Nussey","slug":"john-nussey","description":" \t <p><b>John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. He has worked with Arduino for many years to prototype products and create interactive artwork. A proud Arduino advocate, he has taught the craft of physical computing and prototyping to people of all ages, competencies, and abilities. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9682"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;hardware&quot;,&quot;arduino&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119489542&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b42ab587\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;computers&quot;,&quot;hardware&quot;,&quot;arduino&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119489542&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b42ac05d\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-07-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":258598},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-12-21T11:28:14+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-07-19T19:40:42+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:46+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Hardware","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33516"},"slug":"hardware","categoryId":33516},{"name":"Arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"},"slug":"arduino","categoryId":33517}],"title":"Arduino Boards that Aren’t the Arduino Uno","strippedTitle":"arduino boards that aren’t the arduino uno","slug":"arduino-boards-that-arent-the-arduino-uno","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"You can us the standard USB Arduino board, but you should be aware that many others exist, all designed with different needs in mind. Some Arduino boards offer ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"You can us the standard USB Arduino board, but you should be aware that many others exist, all designed with different needs in mind. Some Arduino boards offer more functionality, and others are designed to be more minimal, but generally they follow a design similar to that of the <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/computers/arduino/getting-to-know-the-arduino-uno/\">Arduino Uno</a>. The Arduino Uno is a great board, but here are some other options if you feel like venturing out.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Official Arduino boards</h2>\r\nAlthough Arduino is open source, it is also a trademarked brand, so to guarantee the quality and consistency of its products, the Arduino team must properly approve new boards before they are officially recognized and can bear the name Arduino. You can recognize official boards first by the name — Arduino Pro, Arduino Fio, or Arduino LilyPad, for example.\r\n\r\nOther nonofficial boards often include <em>Arduino compatible</em> or <em>for Arduino</em> in the name. The other way to recognize an official Arduino, made by the Arduino team, is by the branding (in the most recent versions): They are turquoise and display the infinity symbol somewhere on the board, along with a link to <u>Arduino’s <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/\">site</a></u>. Some other companies also have their boards accepted as official boards, so you may find other company names printed on them, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun.\r\n\r\nBecause the schematics for the Arduino board are open source, unofficial Arduino boards have a lot of variation, which people have made for their own needs. These boards are usually based on the same microcontroller chips to remain compatible with the Arduino software, but they require extra consideration and reading to be sure that they will work as expected. The Seeeduino v4.2 (by Seeed Studio), for example, is based on the Arduino Uno and is 100 percent compatible but adds various extra connections, switches, and sockets, which may be of more use to you than an official Arduino board in certain situations.\r\n\r\nOfficial boards are the safe option for beginners to choose because the majority of Arduino examples online are based on these boards. Because of this, official boards are more widely used, and because of <em>that,</em> any errors or bugs in the board design are likely to be remedied with the next revision or at least well documented.\r\n<h3>Arduino Leonardo</h3>\r\nThe Leonardo has the same <em>footprint</em> (shape of circuit board), but the microcontroller used is different and can be recognized as a keyboard or mouse by a computer. In the “Hacking Other Hardware” bonus chapter of <em><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/computers/arduino/arduino-dummies-2nd-edition/\">Arduino For Dummies, 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition</a></em>, you can find more detail about the differences between this board and the Uno and how to use it.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mega 2560 R3</h3>\r\nAs the name suggests, the Arduino Mega 2560 R3 is a bigger board than the Arduino Uno R3. It is for people who want more: more inputs, more outputs, and more processing power! The Mega has 54 digital pins and 16 analog pins whereas the Uno has a measly 15 digital and 6 analog pins.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mega ADK</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Mega ADK is essentially the same board as the Mega 2560 Arduino but is designed to interface with Android phones. This means you can share data between your Android mobile or tablet and an Arduino to broaden the range of either.\r\n<h3>Arduino Nano 3.0</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Nano 3.0 is a condensed Arduino that measures just 0.70″ x 1.70″. This size is perfect for making your project smaller. The Nano has all the power of an Arduino Uno (both use the same ATmega328 microcontroller), but it's a fraction of the size. The Nano also handily fits into a breadboard, making it ideal for prototyping as well.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mini R5</h3>\r\nDespite what the names suggest, the Arduino Mini R5 is smaller than the Nano. This board also uses the same ATmega328 microcontroller chip but is condensed further, removing all header pins and the Mini-USB connector of the Nano. The Mini board is great if space is at a premium, but it does require great care when connecting because an incorrect connection can easily destroy the board.\r\n<h3>Arduino 101</h3>\r\nThe Arduino 101 uses the Intel Curie module to provide a board that’s as easy to use as Arduino but with the latest Bluetooth low energy technology. It also features a six-axis accelerometer to detect movement, making it a great companion for any wearable technology projects or for talking to other Bluetooth devices.\r\n<h3>Arduino MKR1000</h3>\r\nThe Arduino MKR1000 is a simple but powerful board, combining a 32-bit processor with a Wi-Fi module. It’s perfect for linking sensors and actuators to the Internet or prototyping your next Internet of Things (IoT) project. Along with its small form factor, it has a handy battery connector to allow you to take your project on the move.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Contributed (approved) Arduinos</h2>\r\nMany Arduino boards are now standardized and designed by the Arduino team. However, some have been contributed by other companies, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun, and are recognized as official boards.\r\n<h3>LilyPad Arduino USB</h3>\r\nThe LilyPad Arduino USB was made for projects in which technology is combined with textiles to aid in the development of e-textiles or wearable electronics projects. The LilyPad and its accompanying <em>breakout boards</em> (printed circuit board that make it easy to integrate various components without the need to build your own boards) can be sewn together using conductive thread instead of conventional wire. This board was designed and developed by <a href=\"http://www.leahbuechley.com/\">Leah Buechley of MIT</a> and SparkFun Electronics. If you’re interested in e-textiles or wearable electronics, check out the excellent <a href=\"https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/lilypad-development-board-hookup-guide\">tutorial on SparkFun’s site</a> that introduces the latest version of the board and the ProtoSnap kit.\r\n<h3>Arduino Pro</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Pro is a minimal and super skinny Arduino, by SparkFun Electronics, based on the same microcontroller as those used in the Uno. It comes without any of the normal headers or sockets but has all the same capabilities of an Uno. It’s ideal when height is at a short supply. In addition, it has a battery socket, which allows you to easily make your project portable.\r\n<h3>Arduino Pro Mini</h3>\r\nThe Pro Mini is another SparkFun product; this one pushes the minimalism of the Arduino Pro to new limits. In the scale of Arduinos, the Pro Mini sits neatly between the Nano and the Mini. It has none of the header pins or the Mini-USB port of the Nano, and is slightly more spread out than the Arduino Mini. The Pro Mini has none of the safety features of the Uno, so take great care when wiring because a wrong connection can easily destroy the board.","description":"You can us the standard USB Arduino board, but you should be aware that many others exist, all designed with different needs in mind. Some Arduino boards offer more functionality, and others are designed to be more minimal, but generally they follow a design similar to that of the <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/computers/arduino/getting-to-know-the-arduino-uno/\">Arduino Uno</a>. The Arduino Uno is a great board, but here are some other options if you feel like venturing out.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Official Arduino boards</h2>\r\nAlthough Arduino is open source, it is also a trademarked brand, so to guarantee the quality and consistency of its products, the Arduino team must properly approve new boards before they are officially recognized and can bear the name Arduino. You can recognize official boards first by the name — Arduino Pro, Arduino Fio, or Arduino LilyPad, for example.\r\n\r\nOther nonofficial boards often include <em>Arduino compatible</em> or <em>for Arduino</em> in the name. The other way to recognize an official Arduino, made by the Arduino team, is by the branding (in the most recent versions): They are turquoise and display the infinity symbol somewhere on the board, along with a link to <u>Arduino’s <a href=\"https://www.arduino.cc/\">site</a></u>. Some other companies also have their boards accepted as official boards, so you may find other company names printed on them, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun.\r\n\r\nBecause the schematics for the Arduino board are open source, unofficial Arduino boards have a lot of variation, which people have made for their own needs. These boards are usually based on the same microcontroller chips to remain compatible with the Arduino software, but they require extra consideration and reading to be sure that they will work as expected. The Seeeduino v4.2 (by Seeed Studio), for example, is based on the Arduino Uno and is 100 percent compatible but adds various extra connections, switches, and sockets, which may be of more use to you than an official Arduino board in certain situations.\r\n\r\nOfficial boards are the safe option for beginners to choose because the majority of Arduino examples online are based on these boards. Because of this, official boards are more widely used, and because of <em>that,</em> any errors or bugs in the board design are likely to be remedied with the next revision or at least well documented.\r\n<h3>Arduino Leonardo</h3>\r\nThe Leonardo has the same <em>footprint</em> (shape of circuit board), but the microcontroller used is different and can be recognized as a keyboard or mouse by a computer. In the “Hacking Other Hardware” bonus chapter of <em><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/computers/arduino/arduino-dummies-2nd-edition/\">Arduino For Dummies, 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition</a></em>, you can find more detail about the differences between this board and the Uno and how to use it.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mega 2560 R3</h3>\r\nAs the name suggests, the Arduino Mega 2560 R3 is a bigger board than the Arduino Uno R3. It is for people who want more: more inputs, more outputs, and more processing power! The Mega has 54 digital pins and 16 analog pins whereas the Uno has a measly 15 digital and 6 analog pins.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mega ADK</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Mega ADK is essentially the same board as the Mega 2560 Arduino but is designed to interface with Android phones. This means you can share data between your Android mobile or tablet and an Arduino to broaden the range of either.\r\n<h3>Arduino Nano 3.0</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Nano 3.0 is a condensed Arduino that measures just 0.70″ x 1.70″. This size is perfect for making your project smaller. The Nano has all the power of an Arduino Uno (both use the same ATmega328 microcontroller), but it's a fraction of the size. The Nano also handily fits into a breadboard, making it ideal for prototyping as well.\r\n<h3>Arduino Mini R5</h3>\r\nDespite what the names suggest, the Arduino Mini R5 is smaller than the Nano. This board also uses the same ATmega328 microcontroller chip but is condensed further, removing all header pins and the Mini-USB connector of the Nano. The Mini board is great if space is at a premium, but it does require great care when connecting because an incorrect connection can easily destroy the board.\r\n<h3>Arduino 101</h3>\r\nThe Arduino 101 uses the Intel Curie module to provide a board that’s as easy to use as Arduino but with the latest Bluetooth low energy technology. It also features a six-axis accelerometer to detect movement, making it a great companion for any wearable technology projects or for talking to other Bluetooth devices.\r\n<h3>Arduino MKR1000</h3>\r\nThe Arduino MKR1000 is a simple but powerful board, combining a 32-bit processor with a Wi-Fi module. It’s perfect for linking sensors and actuators to the Internet or prototyping your next Internet of Things (IoT) project. Along with its small form factor, it has a handy battery connector to allow you to take your project on the move.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Contributed (approved) Arduinos</h2>\r\nMany Arduino boards are now standardized and designed by the Arduino team. However, some have been contributed by other companies, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun, and are recognized as official boards.\r\n<h3>LilyPad Arduino USB</h3>\r\nThe LilyPad Arduino USB was made for projects in which technology is combined with textiles to aid in the development of e-textiles or wearable electronics projects. The LilyPad and its accompanying <em>breakout boards</em> (printed circuit board that make it easy to integrate various components without the need to build your own boards) can be sewn together using conductive thread instead of conventional wire. This board was designed and developed by <a href=\"http://www.leahbuechley.com/\">Leah Buechley of MIT</a> and SparkFun Electronics. If you’re interested in e-textiles or wearable electronics, check out the excellent <a href=\"https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/lilypad-development-board-hookup-guide\">tutorial on SparkFun’s site</a> that introduces the latest version of the board and the ProtoSnap kit.\r\n<h3>Arduino Pro</h3>\r\nThe Arduino Pro is a minimal and super skinny Arduino, by SparkFun Electronics, based on the same microcontroller as those used in the Uno. It comes without any of the normal headers or sockets but has all the same capabilities of an Uno. It’s ideal when height is at a short supply. In addition, it has a battery socket, which allows you to easily make your project portable.\r\n<h3>Arduino Pro Mini</h3>\r\nThe Pro Mini is another SparkFun product; this one pushes the minimalism of the Arduino Pro to new limits. In the scale of Arduinos, the Pro Mini sits neatly between the Nano and the Mini. It has none of the header pins or the Mini-USB port of the Nano, and is slightly more spread out than the Arduino Mini. The Pro Mini has none of the safety features of the Uno, so take great care when wiring because a wrong connection can easily destroy the board.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9682,"name":"John Nussey","slug":"john-nussey","description":" \t <p><b>John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. He has worked with Arduino for many years to prototype products and create interactive artwork. A proud Arduino advocate, he has taught the craft of physical computing and prototyping to people of all ages, competencies, and abilities. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9682"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33517,"title":"Arduino","slug":"arduino","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33517"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Official Arduino boards","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Contributed (approved) Arduinos","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":258607,"title":"What You Should Know about Arduino Sensors: Using Capacitive Sensors","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-arduino-sensors-using-capacitive-sensors","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258607"}},{"articleId":258604,"title":"10 Awesome Arduino Resources","slug":"10-awesome-arduino-resources","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258604"}},{"articleId":258598,"title":"Finding and Browsing Arduino Libraries","slug":"finding-and-browsing-arduino-libraries","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258598"}},{"articleId":258590,"title":"An Overview of Arduino Shields","slug":"an-overview-of-arduino-shields","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258590"}},{"articleId":258583,"title":"How to Assemble an Arduino Shield","slug":"how-to-assemble-an-arduino-shield","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258583"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":258607,"title":"What You Should Know about Arduino Sensors: Using Capacitive Sensors","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-arduino-sensors-using-capacitive-sensors","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258607"}},{"articleId":258604,"title":"10 Awesome Arduino Resources","slug":"10-awesome-arduino-resources","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258604"}},{"articleId":258598,"title":"Finding and Browsing Arduino Libraries","slug":"finding-and-browsing-arduino-libraries","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258598"}},{"articleId":258590,"title":"An Overview of Arduino Shields","slug":"an-overview-of-arduino-shields","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258590"}},{"articleId":258583,"title":"How to Assemble an Arduino Shield","slug":"how-to-assemble-an-arduino-shield","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/258583"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281630,"slug":"arduino-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9781119489542","categoryList":["technology","computers","hardware","arduino"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119489547-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119489547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/arduino-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119489542-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Arduino For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9682\">John Nussey</b> is a designer, a technologist, and an entrepreneur who loves using technology in new and interesting ways. 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MacOS macOS Ventura For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-15-2022

Whether you’ve purchased a new Mac with macOS Ventura pre-installed or you’ve upgraded from a previous version of macOS, you’ll find that Ventura makes your computer easier to use and offers myriad improvements to make you more productive. This Cheat Sheet includes information on things you should never do to your Mac; a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; recommendations for backing up data; and website recommendations for smart Ventura users.

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Monterey MacOS Monterey For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-15-2022

Whether you’ve purchased a new Mac with macOS Monterey pre-installed or you’ve upgraded from a previous version of macOS, you’ll find that Monterey makes your Mac easier to use and offers myriad improvements to make you more productive. This Cheat Sheet includes information on things you should never do to your Mac; a compendium of useful and timesaving keyboard shortcuts; a discussion of when folders are too full and when (and when not) to create subfolders; recommendations for backing up data; and a short discussion of iDevices and Continuity.

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Linux Linux All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-01-2022

Linux can fulfill almost any need you have for the operating system on a desktop computer, but you must be able to tell it what you want to do in a way that it understands. You need to know common commands and how to access the help pages.

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General Macs 10 Essential Tips for Investing Success in Your 20s and 30s

Article / Updated 09-15-2022

Investing appears to be complicated and complex. But if you can take some relatively simple concepts to heart and adhere to them, you can greatly increase your success. Here are ten time-tested principles of investing success. Following these principles will pay you big dividends (and capital gains) for many years to come. Regularly save and invest 5 percent to 10 percent of your income Unless you enjoy a large inheritance, you should consistently save 5 percent to 10 percent of the money you’re earning. When should you start doing this? As soon as you begin earning money on a regular basis. Preferably, invest through a retirement savings account to reduce your taxes and ensure your future financial independence. You can reduce both your current federal and state income tax bills (on the contributions) as well as these ongoing bills (on the investment earnings). The exact portion of your income you should be saving is driven by your goals and by your current financial assets and liabilities. Take the time to crunch some numbers to determine how much you should be saving monthly. Understand and use your employee benefits The larger the employer, the more likely it is to offer avenues for you to invest conveniently through payroll deduction, and with possible tax benefits and discounts. Some companies enable you to buy company stock at a reduced price. Often, the most valuable benefit you have is a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k) plan that enables you to make contributions and save on your current income taxation. Also, after the money is in the account, it can compound and grow over the years and decades without taxation. If you’re self-employed, be sure to establish and use a retirement plan. Also take time to learn about the best investment options available to you — and use them. Thoroughly research before you invest The allure of large expected returns too often is the enticement that gets novices hooked on a particular investment. That’s a whole lot more appealing than researching an investment. But research you must if you want to make an informed decision. Be sure you understand what you’re investing in. Don’t purchase any financial product that you don’t understand. Ask questions and compare what you’re being offered with the best sources I recommend. Beware of purchasing an investment on the basis of an advertisement or a salesperson’s solicitation. Shun investments with high commissions and expenses The cost of the investments you buy is an important variable you can control. All fees must be disclosed in a prospectus, which you should always review before making any investment. Companies that sell their investment products through aggressive sales techniques generally have the worst financial products and the highest fees and commissions. Invest the majority of your long-term money in ownership investments When you’re young, you have plenty of time to let your investments compound and grow. Likewise, you have time to recover from setbacks. So with your long-term money, focus on investments that have appreciation potential, such as stocks, real estate, and your own business. When you invest in bonds or bank accounts, you’re simply lending your money to others and will earn a return that probably won’t keep you ahead of inflation and taxes. Avoid making emotionally based financial decisions Successful investors keep their composure when the going gets tough. You need the ability and wisdom to look beyond the current environment, understanding that it will change in the months and years ahead. You don’t want to panic and sell your stock holdings after a major market correction, for example. In fact, you should consider such an event to be a buying opportunity for stocks. Be especially careful about making important financial decisions after a major life change, such as marriage, the birth of a child, a divorce, job loss, or a death in your family. Make investing decisions based on your plans and needs Your investment decisions should come out of your planning and your overall needs, goals, and desires. This requires looking at your overall financial situation first and then coming up with a comprehensive plan. Don’t be swayed and influenced by the predictive advice offered by various investment pundits or the latest news headlines and concerns. Trust that you know yourself and your financial situation better than anyone else does. Tap information sources with high-quality standards You need to pare down the sources you use to keep up with investing news and the financial markets. Give priority to those that aren’t afraid to take a stand and recommend what’s in your best interests. The public clearly has an appetite for opinion shows; on the political left, you have programs on CNN and MSNBC. On the political right, FOX has some popular conservative opinion shows. Political partisans distort the news rather than report the news, and they prevent you from better understanding what’s really going on so you can make informed decisions. Political partisans overstate the impact that the president and others can have over our economy and financial markets. Stay away from outlets that cater to advertisers or are driven by an ideological agenda. Trust yourself first Look in the mirror. You’ll see the best financial person you can hire and trust. What may be missing is enough education and confidence to make more and better decisions on your own, which this book can assist you with doing. If you need help making a major decision, hire conflict-free advisors who charge a fee for their time. Work in partnership with advisors. Never turn over or abdicate control. Invest in yourself and others Don’t get so wrapped up in making, saving, and investing money that you lose sight of what matters most to you. Invest in your education, your health, and your relationships with family members and friends. Having a lot of money isn’t worth much if you don’t have your health and people with whom to share your life. Give your time and money to causes that better our society and our world.

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PCs How to Restore a System Image on Your Windows PC

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

The only time you need to restore a system image on your Windows PC is when the entire hard drive is dead, missing, or replaced with a cheese sandwich. With all that data gone, you have to rely upon three items: A recovery volume: Use this media to start the PC and access the Windows Recovery Environment. The tools presented help you navigate through recovery. The system image: Use this information to restore Windows and other partitions as a base to rebuild your computer system. Tools on the recovery volume help you use the system image information. File History: Finally, with Windows restored, you run the File History program to recover your PC's lost files and programs. You don't need to restore a system image if you merely need to recover from a Windows disaster. The first thing you should try is System Restore. Second, you can try to reset the PC. Otherwise, the process of using the system image works like this: Start the PC by using the Windows Recovery Environment. Choose Troubleshoot. Choose Advanced Options. Choose System Image Recovery. Point the system image recovery tool at the location of the system image files, and then sit back and wait as the system is rebuilt. Yes, the process is more complex than four simple steps. For example, you may need a replacement hard drive. The good news is that you have the system image if you need it. Along with a recent backup, you can fully restore your system no matter what happens to the computer.

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Arduino How to Complete Your First Arduino Sketch

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

Once you have the basics, you can now complete your first sketch. In front of you now should be an Arduino Uno R3, a USB cable, and a computer running your choice of operating system (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux). Find the Blink Sketch To make sure that the Arduino software is talking to the hardware, you upload a sketch. What is a sketch, you ask? Arduino was created as a device that allows people to quickly prototype and test ideas using little bits of code that demonstrate the idea — kind of like how you might sketch out an idea on paper. For this reason, programs written for Arduino are referred to as sketches. Although a device for quick prototyping was its starting point, Arduino devices are being used for increasingly complex operations. So don't infer from the name sketch that an Arduino program is trivial in any way. The specific sketch you want to use here is called Blink. It's about the most basic sketch you can write, a sort of “Hello, world!” for Arduino. Click in the Arduino window. From the menu bar, choose File→Examples→01.Basics→Blink. A new window opens in front of your blank sketch. Identify your board Before you can upload the sketch, you need to check a few things. First you should confirm which board you have. You can choose from a variety of Arduino devices and several variations on the USB board. The latest generation of USB boards is the Uno R3. If you bought your device new, you can be fairly certain that this is the type of board you have. To make doubly sure, check the back of the board. You should see details about the board's model. Also worth checking is the ATMEL chip on the Arduino. The ATMEL chip is the brains of the Arduino and is similar to the processor in your computer. Because the Uno and earlier boards allow you to replace the chip, there is always a chance, especially with a used board, that the chip has been replaced with a different one. Although the ATMEL chip looks quite distinctive on an individual board, if you compare it to an older Arduino, telling them apart at first glance would be difficult. The important distinguishing feature is written on the surface of the chip. In this case, you are looking for ATmega328P-PU. Configure the software After you confirm the type of board you are using, you have to provide that information to the software. From the Arduino main menu bar (at the top of the Arduino window on Windows and at the top of the screen on Mac OS X), choose Tools→Board. You should see a list of the different kinds of boards supported by the Arduino software. Select your board from the list. Next, you need to select the serial port. The serial port is the connection that enables your computer and the Arduino device to communicate. Serial describes the way that data is sent, one bit of data (0 or 1) at a time. The port the physical interface, in this case a USB socket. To determine the serial port, choose Tools→Serial Port. A list displays of devices connected to your computer. This list contains any device that can talk in serial, but for the moment, you're only interested in finding the Arduino. If you've just installed Arduino and plugged it in, it should be at the top of the list. For OS X users, this is shown as /dev/tty.usbmodemXXXXXX (where XXXXXX is a randomly signed number). On Windows, the same is true, but the serial ports are named COM1, COM2, COM3, and so on. The highest number is usually the most recent device. After you find your serial port, select it. It should appear in the bottom right of the Arduino GUI, along with the board you selected. Upload the sketch Now that you have told the Arduino software what kind of board you are communicating with and which serial port connection it is using, you can upload the Blink sketch. First click the Verify button. Verify checks the code to make sure it makes sense. This doesn't necessarily mean your code will do what you are anticipating, but it verifies that the syntax is written in a way Arduino can understand. You should see a progress bar and the text Compiling Sketch for a few seconds, followed by the text Done compiling after the process has finished. If the sketch compiled successfully, you can click the Upload button next to the verify button. A progress bar appears, and you see lots of activity on your board from the two LEDs marked RX and TX. These show that the Arduino is sending and receiving data. After a few seconds, the RX and TX LEDs stop blinking, and a Done Uploading message appears at the bottom of the window. You should see the LED marked L blinking away reassuringly: on for a second, off for a second. If that is the case, give yourself a pat on the back. You've just uploaded your first piece of Arduino code and entered the world of physical computing! If you don't see the blinking L, review the preceding steps. Make sure you have installed Arduino properly and then give it one more go. If you still don't see the blinking L, check out the excellent troubleshooting page on the official Arduino site. Without breaking a sweat you've just uploaded your first sketch to an Arduino.

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Windows 10 How to Open a Port in the Windows 7 Firewall

Step by Step / Updated 08-02-2022

When you use a firewall — and you should — you change the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you open a port in the Windows firewall to let a specific IP communicate with your computer. For example, if you want to play many online games. Most first-time firewallers are overwhelmed by the idea of opening a port. Although open ports are a security threat, sometimes you truly need to open one. Still, you may need to open a port to enable a specific application. For example, when you select the check box to allow Remote Desktop, you’re opening port 3389. That’s the security price you pay for enabling programs to talk to each other.In general, if you need to open a specific port, the documentation for the program (game, torrent downloader, file sharer) will tell you . . . assuming you read the program’s manual.

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Windows 10 Windows 7: Set Up an Inbound Exception in Windows Firewall

Step by Step / Updated 08-02-2022

Setting up a firewall is an effective way to protect your computer from outside cyber attackers and malicious software. But keep in mind that by setting up a firewall, you are changing the way your computer communicates with other computers on the Internet. The firewall blocks all incoming communications unless you set up a specific inbound exception in the Windows firewall to let a program in. Some of your programs won’t respond until they receive a signal via the Internet. If you have a program that doesn’t poke its own hole through the Windows Firewall, you can tell the firewall to allow packets destined for that specific program — and only that program — in through the firewall.

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Arduino Finding and Browsing Arduino Libraries

Article / Updated 07-20-2022

Basic Arduino sketches can get you quite a long way, but when you become more advanced you need to know about libraries. Libraries provide extra functionality to your Arduino sketch, either to use specific hardware or to incorporate more complex functions in software. In the same way that you’d go to a physical library to learn something new, you include libraries in your code to teach your Arduino something new. By including a library in a sketch, you can quickly and easily access functions to help you achieve your goals. Getting started with complex hardware or software can be difficult. Luckily, a lot of people have taken the time to document their progress and have released libraries, often with examples, that you can easily integrate into your own Arduino sketches. From this, it’s possible to get something working and gain a better understanding of it. This learn-by-doing approach of Arduino allows you to make a lot of progress quickly and easily with hardware or software that would otherwise be a huge challenge. Standard Arduino libraries Standard Arduino libraries refers to a selection of the libraries included in the current release of Arduino at the time of writing (1.8.5). The standard libraries cover a wide range of subject areas and are usually popular topics that have been heavily documented. You can find these libraries by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries. Choosing a library includes one line at the top of your current sketch, such as #include <EEPROM.h>. Before you attempt to understand a library, you should try an example of it. You'll find examples at the bottom of the menu that appears at when you choose File →   Examples. Here is a brief description of what each Arduino library does: EEPROM: Your Arduino has electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which is permanent storage similar to the hard drive in a computer. Data stored in this location stays there even if your Arduino is powered down. Using the EEPROM library, you can read from and write to this memory. Ethernet: After you have your Ethernet shield, the Ethernet library allows you to quickly and easily start talking to the Internet. When you use this library, your Arduino can act either as a server that is accessible to other devices or as a client that requests data. Firmata: Firmata is one way to control your Arduino from software on a computer. It is a standard communication protocol, so you can use the library to allow easy communication between hardware and software rather than write your own communication software. LiquidCrystal: The LiquidCrystal library helps your Arduino talk to most liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The library is based on the Hitachi HD44780 driver, and you can usually identify these displays by their 16-pin interface. SD: The SD library allows you to read from and write to SD and microSD cards connected to your Arduino. SD cards need to use SPI to transfer data quickly, which happens on pins 11, 12, and 13. You also need to have another pin to select the SD card when it’s needed. Servo: The Servo library allows you to control up to 12 servo motors on the Uno R3 (and up to 48 on the Mega). Most hobby servos turn 180 degrees, and using this library, you can specify the degree that you want your servo(s) to turn to. SPI: The Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a method of communication that allows your Arduino to communicate very quickly with one or more devices over a short distance. Example of this communication include receiving data from sensors, talking to peripherals such as an SD card reader, and communicating with another microcontroller. SoftwareSerial: The SoftwareSerial library allows you to use any digital pins to send and receive serial messages instead of, or in addition to, the usual hardware pins (0 and 1). This capability is great if you want to keep the hardware pins free for communication to a computer, allowing you to have a permanent debug connection to your project while still being able to upload new sketches or to send duplicate data to multiple serial devices. Stepper: The Stepper library allows you to control stepper motors from your Arduino. This code also requires the appropriate hardware to work, so make sure to read Tom Igoe’s notes on the subject. Wi-Fi: The WiFi library is based on the Ethernet library listed previously, but with alterations specific to the Wi-Fi shield to allow you to wirelessly connect to the Internet. The WiFi library also works well with the SD library, allowing you to store data on the shield. Wire: The Wire library allows your Arduino to communicate with I2C devices (also known as TWI, or two-wire interface). Such devices could be addressable LEDs or a Wii Nunchuk, for example. Additional Arduino libraries Many libraries aren’t included in the Arduino software by default. Some libraries are for unique applications such as specific hardware or functions; others are refinements or adaptations of existing libraries. Luckily, Arduino makes including these easy, so you can quickly try them all to see which are right for your needs. Most libraries are easily installed by choosing Sketch →   Include Library →   Manage Libraries from the Arduino IDE menu. The Library Manager dialog box displays an easily searchable list of libraries submitted to the Arduino servers and approved for release. Libraries may also be distributed as ZIP files that have the same name as the library; for example, the capacitive sensing library CapSense should be distributed as CapSense.zip and should contain a folder of the same name when unzipped. Inside the folder there are files ending in .h and .cpp, such as CapPin.h and CapPin.cpp, and maybe even an Examples folder. If your .zip file contains only loose .h and .cpp files, you should place them in a folder with a library name. Sometimes you may find many .h and .cpp files that all perform different functions in the library, so make sure they're all inside the folder. In the latest release of Arduino (1.8.5 at the time of this writing), it’s easy to include libraries distributed as ZIP files. Simply choose Sketch →   Include Library →   Add .ZIP Library and select the ZIP file containing the library. After the library is installed, restart Arduino and choose Sketch →   Include Library to check that your library is in the list. If the library has an Examples folder, you should also be able to see the examples by choosing File →   Examples and then choosing the name of the library. That’s all there is to installing a library. Removing a library is as simple: just take the library folder out of the Arduino Sketch folder. Contributed Arduino libraries A long list of community-contributed libraries appears on the Arduino libraries page and an exhaustive list appears on the Arduino Playground. To become familiar with contributed libraries, start with CapSense and TimerOne, two commonly used and helpful libraries: CapSense: The CapSense library allows you to make one or many pins on your Arduino into capacitive sensors. This feature allows you to make simple touch, pressure, or presence detection sensors quickly and easily with little hardware. The Arduino Playground page has a lot of useful information, but a more recent version of the code can be found on GitHub. TimerOne: TimerOne (also called Timer1) uses a hardware timer on your Arduino to perform timed events at regular intervals. It’s a great library for reading sensor data regularly without interrupting what’s going on in the main loop. You can find a TimerOne page on the Arduino Playground and an up-to-date version of the library on Google Code. If you’re keen to understand libraries more and maybe even write your own, check out the introduction to writing your own libraries on the Arduino GitHub page.

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Arduino Arduino Boards that Aren’t the Arduino Uno

Article / Updated 07-19-2022

You can us the standard USB Arduino board, but you should be aware that many others exist, all designed with different needs in mind. Some Arduino boards offer more functionality, and others are designed to be more minimal, but generally they follow a design similar to that of the Arduino Uno. The Arduino Uno is a great board, but here are some other options if you feel like venturing out. Official Arduino boards Although Arduino is open source, it is also a trademarked brand, so to guarantee the quality and consistency of its products, the Arduino team must properly approve new boards before they are officially recognized and can bear the name Arduino. You can recognize official boards first by the name — Arduino Pro, Arduino Fio, or Arduino LilyPad, for example. Other nonofficial boards often include Arduino compatible or for Arduino in the name. The other way to recognize an official Arduino, made by the Arduino team, is by the branding (in the most recent versions): They are turquoise and display the infinity symbol somewhere on the board, along with a link to Arduino’s site. Some other companies also have their boards accepted as official boards, so you may find other company names printed on them, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun. Because the schematics for the Arduino board are open source, unofficial Arduino boards have a lot of variation, which people have made for their own needs. These boards are usually based on the same microcontroller chips to remain compatible with the Arduino software, but they require extra consideration and reading to be sure that they will work as expected. The Seeeduino v4.2 (by Seeed Studio), for example, is based on the Arduino Uno and is 100 percent compatible but adds various extra connections, switches, and sockets, which may be of more use to you than an official Arduino board in certain situations. Official boards are the safe option for beginners to choose because the majority of Arduino examples online are based on these boards. Because of this, official boards are more widely used, and because of that, any errors or bugs in the board design are likely to be remedied with the next revision or at least well documented. Arduino Leonardo The Leonardo has the same footprint (shape of circuit board), but the microcontroller used is different and can be recognized as a keyboard or mouse by a computer. In the “Hacking Other Hardware” bonus chapter of Arduino For Dummies, 2nd Edition, you can find more detail about the differences between this board and the Uno and how to use it. Arduino Mega 2560 R3 As the name suggests, the Arduino Mega 2560 R3 is a bigger board than the Arduino Uno R3. It is for people who want more: more inputs, more outputs, and more processing power! The Mega has 54 digital pins and 16 analog pins whereas the Uno has a measly 15 digital and 6 analog pins. Arduino Mega ADK The Arduino Mega ADK is essentially the same board as the Mega 2560 Arduino but is designed to interface with Android phones. This means you can share data between your Android mobile or tablet and an Arduino to broaden the range of either. Arduino Nano 3.0 The Arduino Nano 3.0 is a condensed Arduino that measures just 0.70″ x 1.70″. This size is perfect for making your project smaller. The Nano has all the power of an Arduino Uno (both use the same ATmega328 microcontroller), but it's a fraction of the size. The Nano also handily fits into a breadboard, making it ideal for prototyping as well. Arduino Mini R5 Despite what the names suggest, the Arduino Mini R5 is smaller than the Nano. This board also uses the same ATmega328 microcontroller chip but is condensed further, removing all header pins and the Mini-USB connector of the Nano. The Mini board is great if space is at a premium, but it does require great care when connecting because an incorrect connection can easily destroy the board. Arduino 101 The Arduino 101 uses the Intel Curie module to provide a board that’s as easy to use as Arduino but with the latest Bluetooth low energy technology. It also features a six-axis accelerometer to detect movement, making it a great companion for any wearable technology projects or for talking to other Bluetooth devices. Arduino MKR1000 The Arduino MKR1000 is a simple but powerful board, combining a 32-bit processor with a Wi-Fi module. It’s perfect for linking sensors and actuators to the Internet or prototyping your next Internet of Things (IoT) project. Along with its small form factor, it has a handy battery connector to allow you to take your project on the move. Contributed (approved) Arduinos Many Arduino boards are now standardized and designed by the Arduino team. However, some have been contributed by other companies, such as Adafruit Industries and SparkFun, and are recognized as official boards. LilyPad Arduino USB The LilyPad Arduino USB was made for projects in which technology is combined with textiles to aid in the development of e-textiles or wearable electronics projects. The LilyPad and its accompanying breakout boards (printed circuit board that make it easy to integrate various components without the need to build your own boards) can be sewn together using conductive thread instead of conventional wire. This board was designed and developed by Leah Buechley of MIT and SparkFun Electronics. If you’re interested in e-textiles or wearable electronics, check out the excellent tutorial on SparkFun’s site that introduces the latest version of the board and the ProtoSnap kit. Arduino Pro The Arduino Pro is a minimal and super skinny Arduino, by SparkFun Electronics, based on the same microcontroller as those used in the Uno. It comes without any of the normal headers or sockets but has all the same capabilities of an Uno. It’s ideal when height is at a short supply. In addition, it has a battery socket, which allows you to easily make your project portable. Arduino Pro Mini The Pro Mini is another SparkFun product; this one pushes the minimalism of the Arduino Pro to new limits. In the scale of Arduinos, the Pro Mini sits neatly between the Nano and the Mini. It has none of the header pins or the Mini-USB port of the Nano, and is slightly more spread out than the Arduino Mini. The Pro Mini has none of the safety features of the Uno, so take great care when wiring because a wrong connection can easily destroy the board.

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